itako
by Miss Chocolat
Summary: There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love. Semi-AU, slow build up
1. The Chosen

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

850 words

FOREWORD

I like the idea of Sakura not using her eyes. I find that our eyes are what make us evil; we see what others have that we want and become jealous, we dismiss potential lovers because we find them ugly, and we prejudice others on how they look. However, she will still have her eyes… but not like you'd expect. Also: short chapters. START GETTIN' USED TO 'EM.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Prologue

The Chosen

FOREST OF DEATH; KONOHA

Was it irony that she found herself in this forest? A testament to her purpose, her life's only goal? In the sea of tangled trees reaching the heavens, where monsters and demons prowled for their next prey, she was to decide the fate of one young girl, for the sake of her god. There would be no guilt, no pity—she prepared for this moment her entire life, the messenger of Heaven. This would be the day that she passed her holy torch to a new hand, one capable of handling the burden her gift would give. It went without saying that her choice must be perfect on all accounts, for gods did not accept anything lower than perfection itself. She would not let down her honorable deities.

Quietly, she gazed down from her wooden perch, surveying the battlefield below her. It looked to be a completely hopeless cause; of the two teams present, only one had all three members functioning. The other was in an even worse situation; not only were the girl's two male teammates down, but also another boy who was not fully associated with the girl had fallen. The three Sound nin, as their taunts had revealed to her, aimed for the darker colored boy, feeling little conscience in killing the others. What would this one measly girl do? It almost made her turn away in respect for the dead, but her eyes could not tear themselves off the kunoichi's form. Something about her settled something in her stomach, twisting and nagging to pay attention. This pink haired child captivated her from the beginning of the exams all the way up to this point, always at the edge of her sight but at the same time always flitting away before she could get a good look. Now, she had a bird's eye view of this beautiful disaster, and she could not help but feel exhilaration sweep her into a quick-breathed anxiousness.

The beginning was a slow process, the flower child clumsily evading weapons and retaliating with what little strength she had. In a criminal display of power, the Sound ninja simply toyed with her, knocking her around and kicking her to the floor. The green boy watched on in horror as his friend was beat down, with no chance to save herself. Quickly growing bored of their play thing, the female ninja roughly took the weaker girl by her long, well cared for locks, pulling with such a force the pale kunoichi's head rocked side to side. The older girl laughed, enjoying the show of dominance, her teammates looking uninterested.

"Hurry up, Kin!" said the one with the furry back, rolling his hunched shoulders. "We've wasted enough time here—stop taunting the weak thing and just put it out of its misery!" Their teammate, who was Kin by her response, whined loudly, wanting to prolong the game a while longer. Careful not to lose her footing, she leaned forward to get a closer look below. She was interested in Kin's captive's face, which was obscured by hair. She could see the tell-tale glimmers of tears drop down and hit the pinkette's lap, dampening the two areas on her dress.

'This is it?' she thought, excitement ebbing away as Kin turned back to berate the young girl for attempting to brandish a silly kunai at this point. All this show and all she would be left with was a dead girl? Her interest was fading, but something kept her gaze locked on the shuddering form that was the beaten nin. _Not yet_, it whispered at the recesses of her mind, _keep looking…_

The long haired girl clenched the pink locks tightly in her fist, candy floss caressing her skin. "What do you think you're trying to pull, huh!" With a savage twist of her hand, Kin was pleased to hear her victim whimper. "It won't even work on me from this position!"

"It's not for you," came the soft response. The pink child's voice awakened something in her being, and the adrenaline rushed back with such force she had to steady herself on the trunk of the tree. The battle suddenly turned into a frenzy of action, her heartbeats providing a primal battle drum.

A swift strike, pink hair gracefully falling to ground like sakura petals.

Surprise followed by quick retaliation.

Clones exploding and covering the sylvan arena in formless smoke.

Jutsu blowing away the clouds, shocked stillness, and then…

She drew blood.

Emotions knocked her back, reeling into the protective clutches of another behemoth tree. This child, this sweet, innocent girl who refused to die, covered in blood that was her own and not… Amazement, Understanding, Acceptance, Determination, Anticipation, and Purpose all flowed into her soul in a grand epiphany. Seizing, her limbs numbed, a raw power suffocating her, strangling her thoughts until only a single goal prevailed. There was no doubt about it, her god channeled itself through her soul—turning to leave the scene in haste, her lips split into a crazed grin.

She had found her Chosen.

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	2. The Battle

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

803 words

FOREWORD

If you were confused by the pronoun use last chapter, just read through it carefully. It's not impossible to follow it without the use of a single name (other than Kin's, of course).

いたこ

I-TA-KO

One

The Battle

FOREST OF DEATH, EXAM TOWER; KONOHA

Sakura watched the electronic board with rapt attention, anxious to see the next battlers. Part of her willed her name to appear on the screen, while another shriveled away, curling up to hide itself from the world. The conflicting emotions pushed and pulled in her gut, threatening to rise up what little sustenance settled in her stomach. Of her teammates, she was the last to be called down. Sasuke, after battling two foes at once, the elastic man and the strange black marking on his neck, had been escorted out of the arena by Kakashi-sensei; Naruto stood next to her, the adrenaline from his match still coursing through his veins like wildfire. She almost thought he was going to join in on the fight underneath them at a few junctures, and reflexively held his sleeve to the railing.

"Hey, hey, Sakura-chan," her captive urged excitedly, jumping in place to expend some energy, "who do you think will go next? There are a lot of scary people left!" His teammate hummed in response, eying the other half of the balcony. Her entire graduating class stood with her on the eastern half, leaving the older, more intimidating gennin on the west. Naruto was right to say they were frightening—the ninja from Suna clumped together, but an obvious gap separated them from the red headed boy. His jade eyes hadn't left the arena, focusing on the few bloodstains littering the concrete. There was also Lee's team at that end, and Neji creeped her out somewhat; his eyes probed everything, leaving no feature unexamined.

However, there was one girl she was more afraid of than even Gaara. Her team huddled at the far end of the balcony, closest to the stairs. The kunoichi Sakura felt nervous around appeared to be a year or so older than they, with flat, navy hair pulled into a looped bun and unsettling purple eyes. It was a luminous shade of purple as well that reminded her of a poisonous beetle's shell, one that probably glowed in the dark. Her team represented Wave, a place that filled Sakura with bad memories. While outwardly, her eyes were the only haunting things about the girl, it was that she was always watching her that spooked Sakura.

Even from the beginning of the exams, she followed the Konoha nin with her eyes. At any point during the written exam, Sakura could look to the side and see her directly staring at her from the corners of her eyes. At the entrance of the Forest of Death, she stood behind them—Sakura could feel her eyes focused on her back the entire time. And now, Sakura was certain that the nin hadn't even paid the battles one drop of attention.

The obnoxious beep from the battle screen shocked her from her thoughts, and Sakura quickly looked over to the board, only to shiver visibly. On the illuminated screen, two names stood out in startling neon green:

HARUNO SAKURA VS. KAIHOU TAKAE

Jerking her head to the Wave nin's position, Sakura just missed her as Takae confidently descended the stairs. Her eyes did not follow the stairs, however, and openly met Sakura's. Frozen immediately, Sakura knew right then that something was going to go terribly wrong. Her body refused to cooperate with her mind, staying in her spot stubbornly. She had to do this, she thought, watching Takae wait for her at the bottom of the stairs nervously. Instincts rooted her to the spot, and it took a good hard shove from Naruto to send her down the stairs. Turning her head to give him a baleful look, he flashed a thumbs-up for luck. Anxiety slightly alleviated but still tightly curled around her throat, Sakura forced a grin and continued down to meet her opponent.

"I am honored to be your partner in this battle, Haruno-san," the girl began, bowing quickly. Gesturing to the awaiting proctor, she continued, "let us walk out together." Sakura gave a weak chuckle, bowing back to be polite, and joined Takae in the arena. Walking side by side, Sakura gulped, purple eyes piercing through her the whole trip.

The sickly man positioned them in the arena, Takae facing Sakura with an amiable smile. The pinkette saw this act unnervingly, unable to produce a similar expression. Dread enveloped her being, weighing her down and suffocating her. _Run!_ it screeched at her. _ Get out of here!_ The proctor's rasping instructions fell on deaf ears, Haruno and Kaihou sharing a deep connection as their eyes met. Sakura's pupils pinpricked, and Takae's grin began to show a little tooth, her own pupils dilating. The proctor stepped back and raised his hand, the arena covered in complete, maddening silence. He glanced at both contenders, his raised hand tense… Inhaling sharply, he brought down his arm,

"BEGIN!"

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	3. A Gift

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

889 words

FOREWORD

I like gore, it's no surprise. I also like seeing Sakura in pain, because I'm a sadist. If you're not a fan of bleeding in a fic about ninjas who kill people, skim through the end of this chapter quickly before you read it through.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Two

A Gift

FOREST OF DEATH, EXAM TOWER; KONOHA

The first moments of the battle, nothing happened. The silence persisted for another minute, kunoichi sharing an intense stare. Sakura shifted into a crouch, her clothing rubbing and breaking the silence. Their spell was broken by the sound, and the blue haired girl's hand went to the weapon at her side, a sickle.

"Haruno-san, I apologize that this match will not last very long," Takae pierced the shattered silence, her weapon making an audible clinking noise amplified in Sakura's ears. Her other hand reached into a pocket, pulling out a small, harmless trinket: a black magatama jewel held on a thick cord. Breaking the strap easily, she continued, "In fact, allow me to apologize for everything in advance." Her eyes stared at the stone lovingly, caressing it with her thumb, before channeling a tangible stream of chakra into it.

Confused and unsettled by the sight of the gleaming artifact, Sakura mumbled a quiet, "What?" and retreated a step defensively. Her sandal scratched against the gritty ground as she did so, and Takae's eyes flashed up to peer into Sakura's green orbs. Mutely, her lips formed words, freezing Sakura in place.

The "fight," if it could even be called that, blasted off into a horrible massacre after.

The magatama suddenly sparked with life, flooding the room with a suffocating power that stole the breaths of the gennin, Takae's aura turning darker and her features narrowing. Just as quickly as the jewel's presence appeared, the girl flew into action before Sakura even had an opportunity to crouch. Disappearing from the pinkette's view for a moment, Sakura was left alone. She inhaled, and in that split second she felt Takae wrap her legs around her knees to keep the pinkette from dodging, one hand holding the magatama, pulsing with black energy, and her right hand gripping the sickle right in front of Sakura's panicked face. The Leaf nin's breaths wheezed out in forced gasps, her eyes focused on the incredibly sharp blade too close for comfort.

Above the two, fellow gennin watched the spectacle in horror, unable to bring themselves to action, unwilling to believe that the foreign nin was seriously intending this. Meanwhile, off to the side, the Hokage and jounin stood up, the proctor Hayate jumping to announce the battle over. Neither kunoichi heard the proclamation, however, as Takae whispered her damning ultimatum into Sakura's quivering ear, in a moment that felt to be the length of a lifetime.

"Haruno Sakura," she hushed, hot breath wetting her prisoner's cheek, "you are to receive a wonderful gift in the name of our great goddess, Seikyou-sama, mistress of reprieve and slumber." Her voice turned commanding, grip on Sakura's limbs tightening, "Haruno Sakura, you are given two options in the receiving of this holy endowment, accept one and live with the consequences." Sakura could only push out harsh gasps, instinctively backing away from the blade and closer into Takae's neck. Her throat was dry, tongue cracked from lack of moisture, and sweat rolled down her jaw line. If her knees hadn't been secured by the other ninja's grasp, they would be smacking together from fear.

Acid purple eyes drank in the reaction, Takae shifted Sakura so that their bright eyes could meet as she sealed the younger's fate. "Hunt me down, Haruno Sakura, or," the magatama let out a particularly fierce wave of chakra, Sakura's pupils shrinking tremendously, and Takae's voice dropped to the smooth tenor of a grown woman.

"I'll kill everyone you love."

Sakura screamed. Pain overtook her face as Takae viciously ripped her blade across her viridian eyes, cutting and splitting open delicate flesh. Blood shot out from the wound, carried with the motion of Takae's sickle, staining the ground with red streaks. The crippled ninja had no chance to register the sick slapping of her blood to the floor, as in a single movement the other kunoichi pivoted around her body, punching the fist that enclosed the black stone into Sakura's abdomen, piercing delicate muscle. Takae trained her eyes on her chosen girl, careful to not damage organs as she ripped her hand from Sakura's form, leaving the magatama behind.

All this happened in seconds to everyone but the kunoichi in the arena. Shocked, but still professional enough to ignore Sakura's wails, the jounin flanking Sarutobi rushed forward, propelled by the need to capture this frightening young shinobi. Takae was faster, though, and with a swing of her sickle exploded into a cloud of smoke, leaving a mortally wounded Sakura to collapse to the dirtied floor, her own fluids pooling around her form. No longer upright, she struggled to continue shrieking and screaming, blood flooding her throat and gurgling. Her shaking hands fought to hold both her wounds, one slapped over her face and the other pressing into the entry hole Takae's fist made.

Medic nin rushed into the arena, coaxing the young child to release her hands, so that they could lift her onto a stretcher safer. The white cloth darkened into red on contact, and the team ran out, Sakura's moans and cries slowly fading away.

Upstairs, the eastern balcony raged with terrified yells and tears, Ino turning to the corner in an attempt to vomit privately. The western started for the vicious kunoichi's teammates, but they had dropped to the floor in an undignified heap, dead.

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	4. Emergency

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

1103 words

FOREWORD

More gore, but not as violent. It kind of gets better next chapter. But not really?

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Three

Emergency

FOREST OF DEATH, TOWER HOSPITAL; KONOHA

Green was a curious color to medic nin. Green was the color of their miraculous chakra that could seal wounds and correct bones, green was the color of infection and poisons, green was the color of herbs and plants that cured illness. Green was the color of their profession.

It was ironic that this girl's eyes were also green.

From the moment they had lifted the battered child from the ground, all four medics had began chakra scanning her body, searching for every little break and rupture. Their quick diagnostic sent them into frenzy, rushing to save her already half-gone life. Face sliced right in half, eyes surely beyond repair, tunnel starting from her upper stomach and ending somewhere in between her lungs, broken ribs from the force, and the damaged organs pushed aside as the Wave kunoichi punched through. It amazed them that she was even still alive—at this point, even a jinchuuriki would be in serious jeopardy, regenerative abilities or not. What kept her from giving up the fight?

Clinical chakra brushed over what it perceived to be a small stone, prompting the item to pulse angrily and send their patient into an entirely new fit of screaming. Whatever they had done activated the rock, and to their horror they watched it wiggle around and firmly implant itself into the young girl's palpitating organ, the heart. When a medic attempted to gently ease it away with a scalpel, the intrusive stone lashed out and wrapped chakra tendrils around the already frantically beating organ. This development sent the team's plan down the drain—it would no longer be a simple stitch up-and-sleep job; the stone would interfere with any foreign chakra, prohibiting any healing of the chest area. Looking at each other, the team decided that they would start with the eyes. At this point, it was one of the only injuries they could treat. Resting their hands over the gennin's face, they once again jolted away from her body.

The rock decided it was to have its way with its host's eyes as well, and to their horror and Sakura's immense pain, the medics could only watch as her eyes began to seal closed by themselves, but not as originally constructed. They could see the forced healing change the structure, but they could attempt nothing for fear of the patient's health.

Determinedly and with a slight growl, the newest on the team placed his hands on the sides of the girl's face, feeding chakra into the wounds that opened her cheeks. The leader panicked over the kunoichi's coarse wails, now punctuated with gasping breaths, as his subordinate worked.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, sending chakra into the girl's nervous system to try shutting it off. The action would give her some solace, but some pain would be impossible to stop, such as the work the stone was doing to her eyes. The medic glared at his teacher, hands still fused to the pinkette's temples.

"That thing doesn't interfere with anything it's not interested with," he explained hastily, avoiding the areas of the cheek closest to the eyes. "As long as we don't touch the rock, it won't fight back—just be careful with how close you get!" To emphasize, the medic lifted his hands from Sakura's face, revealing a—mostly—closed laceration. Blood still stained her face, however, and he couldn't bring himself to feel proud of his accomplishment. Examining his student's work briefly, the head medic grunted and began to order his team, falling into the role of leader now that they could work on something. Obediently the other healers started, one running off to gather a blood pack and morphine.

Slowly, they meshed the girl's insides back together, easing muscles and tissues to regenerate and merge. Her organs were bruised and dealt with by one medic while another urged the flesh compacted by the monstrous punch to unwind and fill the tunnel that classified as Sakura's torso. The head checked the more delicate places, such as the girl's head and the areas closest to the stone's influence. In the middle of the procedure, the last medic returned with replacement fluids, and did not hesitate in hooking their patient to an IV. Blood rushed into the tube and entered her bloodstream, replenishing the diminishing supply. Another tube pushed the painkilling drug through it, immediately numbing whatever pain they could not brush away.

The morphine worked its magic, and Sakura's cries toned down to moans, then to mere whispers, and finally to sleep. The team took this as a sign their job was finished, and slumped down, exhausted. After dealing with the Uchiha boy and now this twisting and turning operation, they all felt considerably drained. Before they could call this a job well done (or at least finished), the medics would have to run one additional scan, to ensure no remaining injuries had been forgotten. Nervously, the three younger medics stood back, allowing the more experience head medic space to work.

With a steeling breath, the older man began to ghost his hands over Sakura's body, channeling as slight a wave of chakra as he could. The cavern had been filled with flesh and bone, organs healed of their bruises, and impact hole sealed nicely. After a moment of consideration, the medic chanced a look at her chest, and surprisingly found no resistance. Despite their lack of meddling in the area, the gennin's chest had returned to a healthy state; however the stone, which he recognized was shaped like a magatama, still rested in Sakura's heart. When his scanning chakra ghosted over it, the item hummed threateningly, and the man knew there would be no separating stone and flesh today.

Continuing his diagnosis, he trusted that her eyes were now open for examination, and reached up to heal the small injuries his student had been unable to get. Satisfied with the healing, he opened his eyes, and carefully prodded Sakura's closed ones. If someone had entered at this moment, they would never have known this girl had just gone through the fight of her life. The head medic gulped as he gently lifted the girl's lids in order to see her orbs, prepared for anything.

Despite his hardened condition, the man froze at Sakura's revealed eyes. The colored portion of the eye was larger than before and consequently her irises—which had brightened to a poisonous, sickly green he associated with illness—stretched thinly to accommodate, and _god where were her pupils_—

In the areas that would have been extremely dilated black circles, they only saw pure white.

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	5. Burning

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

1398 words

FOREWORD

Sakura's side of the ordeal.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Four

Burning

FOREST OF DEATH, TOWER HOSPITAL; KONOHA

From her first sprout of life to her first days on her gennin team, Sakura had always been coddled and protected. Her mother's pregnancy proved to be a time for her father's over-protective nature to shine overbearingly, and her young life had been punctuated by dramatic knee scrapes and paper cuts quickly healed with a kiss, band-aid, and ice cream. Only until her experiences with Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi did Sakura seriously injure herself, though that had only been during the second portion of the Chuunin Exams.

Never did she expect for her next moments of pain to be so extreme.

Why hadn't she listened to her subconscious screaming at her? A ninja's best sense was their instinct, and she had just blown away rule number fourteen in the ninja handbook: trust your instinct before your logic. Through the entire test she had felt wary of Takae, and this was her punishment for not taking the obvious signs to heart.

Screams laced with a suffering she had never known existed tore from her throat, quickly tiring her vocal chords. From the second her eyes went Sakura lost all recognition of time—pain defined her, and heightened once something horrible pierced her chest. Her voice protested, unused to such exertion, but the girl continued to cry as though it healed her injuries. Intense, searing burning covered the area of her face, while the new wound in her abdomen felt the same as the sensation of preparing to vomit—an empty, purging sickness that left her hollow.

What happened from that point continued to be an excruciating test of time, where Sakura fought to remain conscious. Wails acted as an alarm clock, pain reminding her of life. Suddenly she was lifted from her place on the floor and carried away, the only sign being that her back wasn't wet anymore. Even if she could still cry, the gennin knew that there was one thing other than tears that could have drenched her upper back like that, and the rusty stench she smelled confirmed it. Hands were all over her in a heartbeat, foreign chakras caressing her limbs and moving up her chest. The sensation calmed Sakura, her noises muffling down to a more bearable whine, punctuated by gasps.

In a second, the brief moment of solace exploded in her chest, a new kind of pain overtaking her senses as she screamed anew. Convulsing and struggling to breathe, Sakura cried out as something wiggled around, boring its way deeper into her body. Fingers twitching for that soothing chakra again, all the hands jerked away from her, leaving Sakura to her pain and feeling awfully alone.

Next, someone went to work on her face, but that possibly ended worse than their attempts on her chest. What she felt was nothing like before or something she could describe; it was how she imagined being eaten away by acid felt like. Stinging and prickling skinned her eyes, as if needles were being inserted into the orbs and quickly ripped out, followed by a sharp pressure. She howled out for her mother, but the strangled call came out as a shriek instead. She did not know how long this lasted. Finally, a medic returned to her side, healing the sides of her face and easing the further tearing her open-mouthed screams had caused. Deaf to the world, Sakura could not hear the medics arguing over her, but the distinct feel of hands returned to her wounds, mending slowly.

The pain began to dull after a slight prick in her arm, and vaguely she recognized it as an IV. Her cries quieted down after a few more moments, giving her a chance to inhale shakily.

If Sakura were to assess herself at this moment, the pinkette would complain about her entire torso, and how everything just _hurt_. Her face still stung, and her eyes felt dry and crusty. Around her chest area there was some tightening, but her heart had calmed down from its almighty pounding. No longer feeling empty and violated, the gennin fell into a drug and exhaustion induced slumber, unaware of the medics prodding her face anxiously.

続く

Sakura looked up to the great being hunched above her, cradling her by bending her torso over and curving her arms around to meet at the tips of long fingers. Long, white hair flowed with life around them, swaying as if underwater. Evenly parted bangs hung from the sides of this woman's face, long enough to join the other beautiful strands. The whites of her eyes contrasted piercingly with her pure black skin, and her irises and pupils made a dartboard effect, the former black and the latter white. Lips drew into a taut line as the being noticed Sakura's extensive examination, her own orbs carefully assessing the child.

Not truly believing she was conscious or even witnessing this, the girl turned in a circle, taking in the strange atmosphere. She stood in a completely dark place as if she closed her eyes and looked at the backs of her eyelids. Yet this giant herself was black, and somehow was distinct from the background, like she was glowing. Looking across, Sakura noticed that she could only see from the belly-up of this being, and inferred she was standing on a cliff of some sort. Glancing back to the being's face, Sakura was surprised to feel lifted into the air, fingers gently forming a platform under her.

If this was a dream or hallucination, she wondered what she had eaten in the forest that caused such wild imaginings.

_**Haruno Sakura,**_ the great apparition began to speak, Her lips not matching the words spoken, _**you have been chosen to be bestowed a terrible gift.**_ She stared evenly at the smaller girl as Her voice echoed around them. Her tone filled Sakura's ears, words cramming into her mind so that they would never be forgotten. The pinkette shivered, unable to control her quickened pace. Takae's words replayed in her mind, a stark contrast to how the being felt about this exchange. While the ruthless girl had claimed this to be an honor, the black woman sounded solemn. Apprehensively, Sakura prepared for the worst.

_**Your sight has been traded as compensation for what you have been deemed worthy, **_She continued, Her speech spoken with every consonant pronounced perfectly. One hand left the foothold to faintly ghost over Her cheekbones, the tips sliding over Her bottom eye lids to end at the corner of Her eye. Sakura lifted her own hands to her face, the memory of blinding pain and blood and darkness still strong in her recollection. She felt a thin, soft line of skin that reached from one temple to the other, crossing her nose. Likening it to Iruka-sensei's scar but skinnier and longer, she quickly brought her attention back to the woman.

_**A holy artifact proves your permanent bond to Me, is sealed within your chest, never to leave its host. **_Her free hand gently poked a gigantic index finger into Sakura's chest, turning the area ghostlike and transparent. Peering into the cavity, the pinkette gasped when she saw a magatama right above her heart, black like the being and glowing just the same. _**This shall be Our connection, from which you shall be granted the gift. It is your choice to benefit from its presence or ignore it completely.**_ She blew on the smaller person, chilling Sakura. Gradually, She spread Her fingers, leaving the gennin to cling onto Her black skin for leverage. However it was not enough as Her body was too smooth for friction, and Sakura slipped off, screaming as she fell into the bottomless black pit.

"Wait!" she yelled, wind whipping her carnation colored locks into her gaping mouth, "Who are you? Where am I? What's going on?" The being hunched back over, Her flawless face the only light in Sakura's view.

_**Heed my words Haruno Sakura!**_ the woman commanded, Her warning not understood by the dropping girl. _**Death is not and will never be a miracle worker, for there is no escaping itself!**_ Silenced by thoughts of this riddle, Sakura continued down, the gleaming face of her only companion shrinking until it was only a pinprick.

It would only be later that Sakura realized that this riddle was not a riddle at all, and had to learn this the hard way.

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	6. Riddle

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

3196 words

FOREWORD

She awakes! You still hate me. More gore. Long chapter for all you good kids who review.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Five

Riddle

LEAF VILLAGE, HOSPITAL; KONOHA

Sakura jolted out of sleep, her eyes opening fiercely to a hospital room. Cringing from the sudden change from black to white, she squinted and attempted to rise, only to fall back with a pained gasp. Breathing shallowly from vertigo Sakura closed her eyes. Once her stomach ceased its churning, she slowly raised her lids, intent on figuring out where she was.

White walls, white ceiling, white curtains, white tiles, white cabinets—if the excessive white décor didn't clue her in, the faint smell of antiseptic wiped away any doubt; Sakura was in a hospital. The window's blinds had been pulled up, letting in the sun's light.

_Light_. That must have meant she was transported out of the Forest of Death after she blacked out, Sakura deduced, knowing that damned place filtered all but the dimmest glow. The thought relaxed her greatly. Being in Konoha made her feel safe, where Takae could never find her…

'T-Takae!' she shouted in her mind, panicking to lift herself from the bed. Pale hands flew to her chest and stomach, prodding fanatically. She was injured! There was a hole in her chest! The scythe was right _there_..! Hyperventilating, Sakura scrambled her sluggish limbs off the side of the bed, her legs heavy like dead weight. 'I have to go—!' Whimpering from the strain in her chest and tingling in her legs, Sakura's footing slipped, and she fell forward.

"Haruno-san!" cried a woman's voice. A crash followed by some metal object falling and hurried footsteps, and Sakura felt arms wrap around from her back. The nurse panted slightly, easing the shaking girl back onto the messy bed. "Oh, oh, oh!" Kneeling at the pinkette's feet, the nurse reached for Sakura's trembling hands, which squeezed into her sides, covering her delicate stomach. "Please don't hold so tightly… You'll agitate your organs!" The gennin refused to release her sides, however, and the nurse furtively pried at the girl's dainty fingers.

"No, I'm hurt, Takae, she punched…!" Desperately, the nurse pulled open Sakura's hospital robe to show clean, white bandages. Silenced, Sakura stared at her torso. Lifting a hand, she caressed the area shakily.

"You're fine now," the nurse informed Sakura, looking into her eyes. Returning the gaze, the pinkette was startled to finally notice a strange, light blue aura around the woman and a nervous glint in her eyes. What was this strange light? Chakra? Why was this woman so bothered? Laughing nervously, the nurse scuttled away, looking anywhere but Sakura's face.

Confused by so many things, Sakura set out to clear up the events of the preliminaries. "After that girl attacked me, what happened? I remember being picked up?" The nurse hummed a bit awkwardly to fill the silence, hiding it as thoughtfulness while she needlessly fumbled with the curtains.

"Well, ah, I was only told the basics," the nurse answered, pinning back the loose fabric. "After you fell, a team of medic nin rushed to the scene and transported you to a healing room. Once you were healed they teleported you to a room here, in the hospital; all this time you've been asleep."

"'All this time'?" Sakura echoed, following the nurse's movements intently. The woman skittered about like a mouse! An ill-placed giggle tore itself from the nurse's lips, causing Sakura's eyebrows to shoot into her hairline. Either she was missing the joke, or this woman was on something.

"You've been unconscious for a few days now… But if you want the full story, Dr. Edogawa will be in soon." Silence persisted in the room, Sakura sitting on the bed, contemplating, and the nurse fidgeting, dying to get out. "Ahh, just let me open the window for some fresh air…" Her nerves affected the strength at which she pulled open the window, the panes clattering loudly and surprised Sakura. At this point she had discerned that the woman just did not want to be in her presence, but Sakura couldn't find any reason why. Perhaps it had to do with the inexplicable blue glow?

"Excuse me…" the girl began softly, only for the nurse to ignore her completely. Quickly turning from the window she almost broke, the nurse snatched up the fallen utensils she knocked over earlier and set them on the counter, not bothering to sanitize them.

Whirling around the room haphazardly, the nurse managed to head for the door, choking out a, "I'll find the doctor for you right away!" Just as her hand touched the doorknob, Sakura yelled out.

"Excuse me!"

"W-what?" Turning back to her patient, the nurse avoided Sakura's eyes.

Lips pulled into an annoyed line, Sakura bit out, "I need to use the bathroom!" The nurse sighed and pushed open the door, informing the gennin that the door on her left was the restroom before shutting the door. For a moment Sakura kept her eyes on the white wood, puzzled over the nurse's eccentric behavior, deciding that the lady was simply stressed. This time sliding her legs over the edge of the bed, she weakly stood, holding onto the bed frame for support. The metal squeaked as she pushed off and tottered to the second door, hands outstretched to catch the wall. As they made contact with the cold concrete Sakura sighed, resigning herself to sliding across the wall the rest of the way. If this was what a few days' rest accosted her, Sakura didn't want to take vacations ever!

Finally managing to get herself to the restroom, Sakura twisted the knob, falling into the room with her weight rested on the door. Startled by the motion, she hung on the doorknob, the metal turned all the way to support her. Uneasily, she brought her outstretched leg back underneath her to join the other in pushing her up. Shaking off her shock, Sakura patted her dress down and looked up into the mirror to take in her most likely bedraggled appearance—and _screamed_.

続く

Dr. Edogawa made his way down the hospital halls, a manila folder filled to the brim with patient files and medical reports held in the air with a bored hand. Suzuki had just bumped into him, hastily said a few words about the patient in room 138 needing him, and scampered away like the Kyuubi was hot on her trail. 138 was the room Haruno Sakura currently resided in, giving the astute doctor and idea of what had happened.

He could still remember vividly the fight against time and a rock to save her life, the helplessness they felt, and her alien eyes tainted venom green. After they had chuunin take her away to the Konoha hospital, where she could have further treatment, he had began preparing for this moment: how to explain to a young gennin she was blind. It wasn't something he looked forward to, but someone had to be the carrier of bad news. He wasn't the best of shoulders to cry on, but he'd try, feeling responsible for this tragedy.

Slowing to a stop, the good doctor examined the room plate carefully. "138" carved into golden sign with black glared at him almost ominously. Clearing his throat, Dr. Edogawa mustered up his confidence and pushed open the white door in one fluid motion, the metal knob cool on his skin. "Haruno-san?" he called, confused when his patient was nowhere to be seen. The sheets had been ripped from the bed and window opened, so there had been activity in the room… Little blind girls just didn't disappear!

Heavy breathing from his right alerted him to another presence. Whipping his head to the side, Dr. Edogawa was greeted with the sight of Sakura using the sink for support, her knees bent in as if she was about to collapse, her expression one of horror and tears cascaded down her pale skin, eyes wide open.

"Haruno-san," the doctor mumbled, setting down the file and stashing the thought that "The girl can see!" in the back of his mind. Rushing over, he got to Sakura in time right before her legs fell out, catching her in his arms protectively.

"My… My eyes…" the gennin struggled to cry out, grasping Dr. Edogawa's arms for support. The man dragged her over to the bed, assisting the girl onto the mattress with little trouble—she hadn't been heavy to start with, and after the whole ordeal she had wasted away to almost nothing. Sakura's tears fell silently, but her mouth betrayed her sadness, picked up on one side in a rueful half-grin. "At least I know why that nurse was so nervous earlier!" Dr. Edogawa patted the poor girl's back as she hiccupped.

An unknown amount of time passed before Sakura was consultable. Her breathing evened out and the tears had stopped, but her eyebrows expressed what her eyes could not: Sakura's confusion and melancholy. Dr. Edogawa stared into her downcast orbs, his brown ones twitching as he examined hers. Just as they had been a few days ago, the pupils remained white, but her irises seemed to have recovered slightly from the trauma, and looked to be a bit thicker than before—which was still less than half the size of an iris when the pupil was in a natural state, but at least you could see more green. It was unfortunate her new eyes looked so frightening, since their size now would have made her appear cuter.

Surprisingly, it was Sakura who spoke first. "Dr. Edogawa-san," she shakily breathed, hands busy wiping away the remnants of tears, "just what happened to me?" The pinkette scooted away from the man so that she had more room to sit and look at him, knowing he would not act like the nurse had. (Sakura would ignore the somewhat teal-ish color of his aura.) Just as she predicted, the older man stared evenly back, maybe even a bit inquisitively. Hopefully, this was not a permanent thing, but something told Sakura that this development was to stay.

The doctor sighed, hand in his hair, slicking the greasy strands back. How to put this gently at all? One piercing look at Sakura's desperate-need-to-know face answered his inner question, that there was no kind way to put this at all. Resolved that he had no choice and could blame a small girl's tears on the situation rather than his own words, Dr. Edogawa began his long and emotional explanation of the past events.

"As you know, Haruno-san, it was during your preliminary match against one Kaihou Takae when you were gravely injured." Sakura shuddered at the memories, but cast them aside to focus on the important facts presented to her. "The extent of your injuries was vast, consisting of minor chakra depletion, bruising, and minor cuts, all the way to the damages Kaihou wrought, including tearing open your chest cavity and destroying the upper portion of your face.

"We arrived on the scene, but you were already suffering from tremendous blood loss and half unconscious. Halfway into the healing process we hit a bump in the road in the form of a strange stone she must have put in you." At this Sakura shot up, a hand held over her heart as memories of her dream rushed back to her. Takae had clutched a small black stone when they fought… And the woman in her dream had shown her the magatama within her chest… Perhaps these stones were the same artifact? Unaffected by the girl's movements, Dr. Edogawa continued, "I was sure you were to die there, but you could thank my apprentice, Takeshi, for his unwavering stubbornness in saving you.

"Anyway, the stone interfered with us healing the areas it was interested in, your heart and eyes, so we did our best on the surrounding wounds as it worked its own magic. We managed to close all the wounds and the stone completely healed its intentions, but it changed your eyes to look like this," and he gestured to Sakura's outlandish eyes.

Feeling the scar that ran across her face, Sakura commented, "Well, Takae _did_ mess up my face really badly… I thought that sickle cut my eyes right in half! I was sure I'd never see again!" She laughed forcibly until the pinkette saw the doctor's stern face. She didn't like that expression.

"I thought you would never see again, too, Haruno-san," Dr. Edogawa confessed, the wrinkled around his mouth deepening his scowl. "In fact, I _knew_ you'd never see again. What you thought was right, Haruno-san—Kaihou Takae used her scythe to cut right into the most delicate and crucial parts of the eyes, practically split your eyes into two. If the stone hadn't interfered, we might have been forced to remove your eyes altogether due to the severity of the wounds." Sakura felt breathless, air stolen right from her with this revelation. Without the magatama's power, she would have been blinded?

They shared a silence, both man and child pondering this information. Sakura began to connect the dots with the involvement of the woman, the magatama, and her mysterious ability to see. This magatama was, apparently, her "bond" with that mysterious being, and it had been this magatama's power that had repaired her eyes to the point where it not only negated all damage from Takae's scythe but also completely changed the appearance of her eyes. She could only attribute her sudden view of these glowing presences around others to the power of the black stone as well. It seemed that in the end, it was the woman's doing since the stone traced back to Her.

Dr. Edogawa broke the contemplative silence. "Haruno-san, have you noticed anything strange recently about your sight? Is it clearer? Do you only see certain colors? Has the range of your sight increased? Decreased?" Caught off-guard by all these possibilities, Sakura took a moment to actually consider the state of her vision.

"There is nothing like that different," she admitted a little ashamedly, disheartened to put down the man's wild fantasies. "The one thing I could say that's definitely new is that I can see people's auras?" The doctor hummed at the news, grasping his chin in his hands. Somehow it didn't sound right to Sakura, as she imagined aura-reading would have to do more with people's emotions, and as of right then there had been no changes in her companion's teal glow.

Once again the quiet in the room was shattered, but this time by a shrill beeping noise. Dr. Edogawa jumped and searched his coat pockets for a small rectangular beeper, madly vibrating and screeching for him. The number "419" flashed on the small screen in time with the beeps, and the man reluctantly hit the silencer button.

"I've gotta go," the doctor told Sakura, hastily leaping from his cross-legged position on the girl's bed. "Once I deal with this problem, I'll head straight back here and we'll discuss what happens next." Sakura nodded and reached up to wave goodbye, but Dr. Edogawa was already closing the door and leaving her alone.

The young girl sat noiselessly, staring at the door with a perplexed mind. Once he had left and Sakura couldn't see him anymore, Dr. Edogawa's aura had vanished. Apparently this ability isn't like the Byakugan, Sakura thought, rising to sit near her windowsill. A small chair was placed near the glass so that patients could have a nice view to rest at, or for visitors with nowhere to sit. The nurse had opened the window earlier and let in the pleasant summer breeze, and Sakura wanted to enjoy it without worrying about crazy kunoichi and magatama.

The chirps of birds rode the wind, playing with Sakura's limp hair and mingling with the faint bustling of the village. The leaves rustled with brief gusts of wind, completing the soundtrack Sakura woke up to every morning and giving her a sense of normalcy. The sun warmed her cheeks and made her lethargic, and Sakura felt very peaceful; so peaceful she closed her eyes. After a few minutes of light napping, a bird landed on the sill Sakura rested on, chirping happily. Cracking open her acid green eyes, Sakura smiled at the little brown bird, taking note of its gray aura. Perhaps animals and humans had different colors? Either way, she smiled at the tiny thing, taken by its innocent song.

A little farther from them, an alley cat perched itself on the neighboring window sill, its haunches raised in preparation for attack. Sakura saw this out of the corner of her eye, the cat's glow being a bright yellow. Following its line of sight, she discovered its aim at the tiny bird. Gasping, Sakura caught the little bird in her hands right as the cat leaped, hissing and stretching its claws out.

"You stop that!" she yelled at it, holding the bird to her chest and watching as the cat landed safely in a tree underneath them. Sighing gratefully, Sakura extended her arms forward to look at the tiny creature cupped in her hands. Her breath caught, however, as she saw the little bird—while its aura had been a flat gray a moment ago, the colored deepened into a complete solid black that was not translucent like an aura normally was. The animal sat oddly still in her hands, not even blinking its beady black eyes. Incredibly unsettled by this development in the small bird, Sakura called out to it. "Little bird? Hello? Are you all right?"

As if her voice had triggered something, the bird began to flap it wings madly but flew nowhere, its head twitching and beak opened to cry out, yet no sound was produced.

_**Heed my words Haruno Sakura!**_

Sakura hyperventilated as it began to spasm and fell into her hands, unable to drag her eyes away from the horrifying sight. Cracking and grinding suddenly was heard as the bird's wings bent in unnatural directions so violently that bones ripped through skin and splattered Sakura's hands with blood; its aura wrapping around and _attacking_ it. The animal coughed out blood in a wheeze that sounded alien to Sakura's ears, and to her infinite terror, the bird's skin began to split and tear as its organs destroyed themselves, the stomach pierced and releasing its acids.

_**Death is not and will never be a miracle worker…**_

The creature seized violently and the cracking noises intensified, and in seconds the bird's skeleton wrapped around itself, leaving in Sakura's shaking hands a lump of blood, flesh, bone, and feathers that could no longer be identified as being a bird at any point.

…_**for there is no escaping itself!**_

Its aura faded completely and the bird was no more.

続く

"I'm back…" Dr. Edogawa announced, stepping into the room, his greeting hanging upon the sight of his patient, standing by the window with something that looked like it went through a blender gathered in her hands, looking toward him with the most broken expression he'd ever seen.

The blood speckled on her cheek moved with her words and Sakura's eyes filled up with tears once again as her voice cracked, "I think I just figured out what exactly that aura is."

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><p><strong>Always lots of love to my supporters!<strong>

Llamas Are Sexy **(x5)**

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* * *

><p><strong>No BETA, so tell me if you see any mistakes!<strong>


	7. Bad News

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

1019 words

FOREWORD

I love being a sadist. Sorry for uploading a bit late. ALSO DAT CLIFFHANGER

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Six

Bad News

LEAF VILLAGE, HOSPITAL; KONOHA

Sakura lay quietly on her cot, arms folded on her stomach. The dried remains of tears made distinctive lines down her cheeks and her eyes focused on the white ceiling yet looked at nothing. Dr. Edogawa had left a few minutes ago to document her "discovery" about her eyes after taking a minute to calm her down and clean away her mistake, her foolishness.

Despite only thinking for a short time, it felt like she was processing in overtime—information flitted through her mind at light speed, evoking emotions so quickly she could only express them for mere seconds before moving onto the next.

Mortification. The bird, that had just been a living, breathing animal deteriorated into a mass of flesh—this couldn't have been real. It was a dream! Just a terrible dream created from the air of the Forest of Death… But it couldn't have been, since she had lived through the preliminaries...

Confusion. What was that black aura? Why had it so suddenly destroyed the bird, when it had been fine a second ago? Was it her? What had she done to deserve this? What had she _seen_?

_**Death is not and will never be a miracle worker, for there is no escaping itself!**_

Slow realization. The bird was just about to be killed by the cat. She saved the bird from dying. The aura turned black as a product of her actions—_she_ stopped death. The gray… Signified death. She could see when things died…

Horror. She could see when _people died!_ Those colors she was seeing were people's time left! If she tried to save any of them when they were gray, they'd just end up like her mistake, worse off than their original deaths! What was she now? What were these eyes!

Panic. What was she gonna do! How could she explain this! Was she going to be able to be helped? Was she going to be taken for study? How would she live her life!

Hysteria. No… No, Dr. Edogawa would help her. Yes, he'd make sure she would be fixed… Right? Of course, of course! They wouldn't just leave her like this! They'd do something! Please… He _had _to…

Relaxation. There'd be no help if she couldn't straighten herself out. Dr. Edogawa promised to help her no matter what, so there had to be some way to correct her eyesight. For now, all she had to do was wait. Wait for someone to save her.

A soft knock broke the silence. A nurse slowly entered the room—a quick glance told Sakura she held a solemn look—and slipped in, careful to close the door gently. Sakura followed the woman with her eyes, taking note of the green color of her aura. Healthy?

"Haruno-san," the nurse addressed, taking a seat near Sakura's bed. She sat straight-backed and comfortable, unperturbed at the gennin's strange eyes. Sakura deduced this must have meant she was either used to such sights or was one of her emergency medics. "How are you feeling?"

The pinkette gave her an empty look; she hoped it didn't appear condemning or some other intimidating expression. "I'm not quite sure anymore." Tired might work, but even then Sakura wasn't fatigued. If she had to run a mile she had enough energy to do so, but she felt lethargic suddenly. Lassitude weighed her limbs down.

"Ah, that's better than terrible," the black haired woman commented, her lack of emotion just proving to Sakura she was just engaging in formalities. For some reason, this rubbed the pinkette the wrong way, irritating her.

"If you're not here for something important, then leave, please." She really couldn't deal with useless visits right now. All she wanted was for Dr. Edogawa to return with some medication to put her back to sleep, even if she had a sneaking suspicion there would be no relaxing rest in store for her. The nurse stiffened in her shoulders as a response and stared Sakura in the eyes. Her brown eyes probed the small girl's demonic ones, her irises flicking back and forth.

She leaned back in her seat, placing her hands neatly in her lap. For a moment she thought about what she about to do to this poor child, guilt clogging her throat. A strong cough wiped her mind and body clear, and she entered medic mode, closing off all her emotions. Sakura watched with fascination as brown eyes lost their gleam and flattened, giving the older woman an empty, harrowed look. Stress lines added to the effect, making her seem twice as old as she probably was.

The nurse's words started with a squeaking chair. "Haruno Sakura, my name is Dr. Yusho. I was one of the emergency medics involved with your healing." Dr. Yusho had an intimidating air about her while speaking, her pose rigid and ready for anything. Her voice did not emulate much as if stuck on one setting.

Something told Sakura this woman had been a medic for a long, long time.

"That's nice," Sakura replied, unable to conjure anything else. Dr. Yusho breathed evenly through her nostrils before letting one short sigh escape. If it was brought on by her waste of words or an inner turmoil, Sakura wasn't sure. The woman's eyes let nothing show.

"I'm sure Dr. Edogawa has already informed you on that aspect, so allow me to get straight to business." Dr. Yusho's eyes managed to turn an even darker, bottomless shade. Sakura felt uncomfortable. "I have some unfortunate news for you, Haruno-san." The girl gulped, the room's temperature dropping suddenly and a sense of claustrophobia overtaking her. "I figured that having you know now would be the best way to cope, however—"

"Please just get on with it." The word "cope" sent alarm bells off in her mind. Why would she need to cope with something—did it have to do with her eyes? Was she more injured than she thought during the exams? Could she not be a ninja anymore—

"Last morning your parents were found dead in their own home."

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><p><strong>Thanks as always~<strong>

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	8. Denial

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

1350 words

FOREWORD_ (2/2/12)  
><em>

Ayup. The rest of Team Seven finally make their appearance. Tomorrow's my birthday! Expect a special update. C:

**UPDATE 2/7/12: OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK I SWORE I POSTED THIS I AM SO SORRY**

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Seven

Denial

LEAF VILLAGE, HOSPITAL; KONOHA

Naruto jogged down the stark white hallway of the hospital, leading the rest of his team. His excited mood could be seen in his walk—finally, they were able to see Sakura! Day after day, the blond had asked if his teammate was awake yet. Always, the answer was "no." He almost thought the girl wasn't going to make it after being turned down for the fifth day in a row. Sadness gripped his heart and Naruto let out a shuddering breath, trying to keep his thoughts away from that direction. All that mattered was Sakura being _conscious_ and that meant she walked the road of recovery. Just that notion brought a larger smile to Naruto's face, and he struggled not to cheer for his friend's healing.

Behind the elated leader of the Team Seven train, Sasuke and Kakashi followed at a sedated pace, the former with his hands in his pockets and the latter with a bouquet of flowers rested gently in his arms. While Kakashi would have had his underlings carry the gift for him normally, something told him the blooms wouldn't last long in either of the boys' hands.

Letting out a silent sigh, the jounin took their long walk as a chance to contemplate all that had happened during the exams. Sasuke had been cursed by the snake sannin. Despite this, the Uchiha still managed to get through the prelims, but had to be promptly counter-sealed right after; due to the fact that the procedure needed his presence, Kakashi wasn't there to witness his other students' matches. From what he had heard from the other sensei, Naruto had pulled off an unexpected win against Kiba, and Sakura, well…

Kakashi wished Sasuke could have managed to live without treatment for another hour or so.

Just the bare-facts report alone from the medical ninja chilled him. A scythe to the face and a fist literally in her gut? Kakashi still couldn't believe his only female student managed to survive through the pain alone. The stories from those present, especially Gai's, whose tales normally featured grandiose hand gestures and adjectives, left him bothered. When the Green Beast approached him, the Copy Nin swore the man was about to cry before telling him in a solemn voice just how much the poor girl had screamed. Hatake Kakashi wondered just that moment if Sasuke had not needed him already, could he have saved Sakura?

Sasuke, taking the middle position, was lost in thought too. He had known from the start that something would happen to his weak teammate in battle—but he had been comforted to know that the three of them would be there to protect her. While he didn't _love_ the prospect of coddling the other genin, it gave him some peace of mind that someone out there needed his existence. Sasuke never thought that that time would be the one time no one came to help her.

That was the most unsettling thing of all.

He understood why he and Kakashi were absent, though it still made him angry to know it was potentially his fault that Sakura suffered this, but why hadn't any of the other ninja jumped in to assist? Was it that sudden of an attack? Or was it that the others were too weak to intercept the pinkette's opponent? He had heard from Naruto some of the details and didn't look forward to seeing the extent of Sakura's wounds. On a basic level, he knew from description of the event that her face had been cut into with a blade, and somehow the other kunoichi had broken into Sakura's chest with only a punch. What he knew very intimately from Naruto and Ino was the size of the blood pool beneath Sakura and how her screams didn't stop until they were out of earshot.

Just imagining it briefly, Sasuke was glad he didn't see her torture, for reasons he didn't want to delve into for a long time.

"We're here!" Naruto announced, excitedly reaching out for the handle of the door, intent on surprising the patient inside. Boy, would she be happy to see them! Ignoring Kakashi's plea to knock first, the blond pushed the door open to its fullest, happily yelling, "Hi Sakura-chan!"

"YOU'RE LYING!" Sakura screamed at the nurse sitting in front of her, thrashing angrily in her bed, struggling to reach for the woman. Her limbs, unused to such exertion, gave out on her, and she fell over to the side, nearly slipping off the edge. From some secret reservoir she didn't know she had, tears ran with new abandon down the girl's cheeks and she wailed pitifully. Dr. Yusho jumped to restrain the child, but Sakura viciously slapped her away, covering her face with one hand and blindly lashing out with the other.

"Haruno-san, please, you'll hurt yourself—"

"**NO**!" Ignorant of her stunned audience, Sakura desperately felt for the floor, miscalculating with her foot and instead sliding off the mattress, banging her knee against the bed frame. "Stop talking! You're wrong! There's no way!" Suddenly, her abdomen burned, and she gasped in pain, rolling onto her back. With her feet midair, tangled in the bed sheets and one hand holding her face and aching wound site, Sakura cried out her sorrow and frustration.

Standing frozen, the males of Team Seven watched as their teammate fell apart, shaking and crying and making a pitiful sight on the floor. Hand still clutched about the doorknob, Naruto leaned forward slowly, the feeling in his legs gone. Kakashi's thoughts hit a complete stop, his lone eye shaking as it took in his student. Sasuke felt something twist in his stomach, most concerned with the horrible cries Sakura let out. He knew that kind of cry—the boy could still remember how long he had spent as a child, curled up in a bloodstained room, howling just like this. What was going on?

Naruto tripped over himself from falling over too much, alerting Dr. Yusho to their presence. Thinking quickly, she ordered them over, "What are you doing just standing there? Help me get her back in the bed!" The woman's monotone broke their spell, and Kakashi was the first to act, flowers forgotten on the floor. Naruto and Sasuke followed, reluctant to touch their trembling teammate. The jounin hooked his arms underneath Sakura's armpits, motioning with his head for Naruto to undo the sheets holding her feet captive. A little cautious of her struggling legs at first, the blond hurried to undo the wrapping and nearly got a foot in his face for his efforts.

Sasuke automatically took up the job of restraining the girl's long legs, and helped Kakashi lift Sakura back onto the bed. Her breaths came out in staggered gasps, her tears officially ran out though she kept her eyes closed. Dr. Yusho came to other, free side of the bed, quickly administering a sedative into Sakura's arm. After a minute of further struggling, her resist waned, and the drug began to take effect.

"Sakura-chan?" whispered Naruto, reaching out a shaking hand to hold her hand. As he made contact, her eyes opened blearily. Though only half revealed, the three could clearly see the large white circle and venomous green. Looking around confusedly due to the drugs blurring her eyesight, Sakura moaned.

"Naruto?" Unable to find her brightly-colored friend without the fluorescent hospital room lights overtaking her, the girl gave up and closed her eyes again. Convinced that she had gone blind, her teammates wearily followed her descent into a sedated sleep.

The three had all been taken aback by her damaged eyes—was this a result of the healing? Whatever it would come to be in the future, they ignored the unfortunate scarring for the time being, each lost in their own thoughts.

Following the faint scar that stretched across her face with his azure eyes, Naruto broke down, crying into Sakura's pale hand. Kakashi hid his face in his hand, breathing deeply, and Sasuke silently watched Sakura slumber, his thoughts in a slow progression.

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><p><strong>Thanks for the support!<strong>

Thirrin73

kodocha101

LaughsRFun

gaasakufoevah

SweetScarlett97

Luka1Sakura

Black-footed

SanDavis687

iiNeko-Chan

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><p><strong>Spot any mistakes? Do tell.<strong>


	9. Crime Scene

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

1196 words

FOREWORD

Ohmygodwhatisthis a scene change? You jest.

PLEASE NOTE: this takes place a few days **PRIOR** to the previous chapter!

_Double update because my negligence is an unforgivable sin. Also I am now 17!_

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Eight

Crime Scene

LEAF VILLAGE, HARUNO HOUSEHOLD; KONOHA

ANBU prowled the house, going into each room without hesitation or care for privacy. Opening closets and drawers, prying into locked boxes, and mercilessly rummaging through every piece of furniture, the elite operatives searched for clues and evidence. Standing in the middle of a very bloody living room was Morino Ibiki, pulled from his interrogation office to act as an investigator. Normally, the grim faced man was never called out to piece through a murder directly, leaving it instead to the people trained for such work.

The only times he was summoned when it was less like a petty alleyway dispute and more like a complete massacre. And boy, did this ever look like a bloodbath.

From the outside, the two-story house appeared completely normal, but once he stepping inside, immediately the metallic stench of blood wafted into his nose. Stepping out of the foyer, Ibiki continued down the hallway, observing perfectly lined photos hung on the wall. Nothing looking out of the ordinary, but as his senses tingled more the further he went into the seemingly innocent home, the man knew the worst was still to come. The hallway split into four paths: continuing forward led to a bathroom, directly next to the bathroom was the staircase to the second lever, left was an open kitchen and dining room, and right led to the living room.

Ibiki hadn't wasted a moment before heading right into the heart of the crime scene.

Blood stained everything in the room. From the floor, where it pooled around two covered corpses, to the walls, where great streaks of red created waves, and even staining the ceiling, splattered with speckles. The rug was ruined, soaked through and squelched as his heavy boots pressed into it, bubbling up. Decorations on the walls, the couches, the draperies—all had not escaped the terror. The coffee table he assumed had rested in the center of the floor originally had been shoved against a bookcase, its legs bearing the same liquid as the rest of the room. Despite the drenched state of the room, Ibiki recognized very few signs of resistance.

He knew that the Haruno's were a civilian family, with their only child being the first shinobi to come from their family. In fact, they were well-known as a merchant duo, investing in many Konohan businesses and trading goods from all over the countries. Even so, he doubted they just let someone steal their lives easily; was the attacker just so quick that they had to time to react?

Holding his chin in thought, the man bent down to inspect the bodies of the two adults. Ibiki folded the tarp over and revealed two horribly disfigured corpses, also releasing the reek of rot. Large incisions covered the torsos, each of the parents having suffered from slashes and lacerations to different body parts. The wounds were so numerous Ibiki would have to take a notepad to tally them down. Bruises around their necks and arms were also present, but what caught the interrogator's eyes the most were two similar, chest penetrations on both of their chests. Those were definitely the causes of death.

What confused him was that they had died from the chest wound, that would mean that _that_ was inflicted before the other slashes, since the two would have bled out first if it had been done later, especially considered how deep they went. So, they meant that the later slashes were done post-mortem and on purpose.

Ibiki shifted his jaw and returned to a standing position, his eyes following a trail of blood that bent into the kitchen. Tracing the obvious drag marks, he found yet another scene of violence, though the room fared somewhat better than the living room. An ANBU was busy dusting off a bloody knife, searching for prints with a small brush.

"Report," Ibiki ordered, his low, gritty voice fitting the ambiance of the Haruno household. With a flash of a salute, the ninja turned to the trench coat wearing jounin, setting his equipment down and returning to ease.

"Reports of a smell began yesterday," the masked nin began, his voice disguised by the white porcelain. "A chuunin was sent out to respond and discovered the bodies. He notified the authorities immediately thereafter and an initial investigation team was dispatched. The victims are covered from head to toe in injuries reflecting those of a blade wound and blunt trauma. Estimated time of death is two days ago, attributing to the color of the skin, smell, and stage of decomposing.

"I am currently combing the kitchen for any evidence. Other than this knife, there is no other appropriate weapon present in the kitchen to cause those injuries. Once this is sent back to the lab, a result report will be issued covering the prints and blood sample. We have gathered other samples from the kitchen and living room, the only two rooms that appear to have had movement. The kitchen is the only room with signs of restraint—I take the liberty to assume that Haruno-san was cooking before they were attacked, leading to the inclusion of the knife in this. Also, the remains of a meal are on spilled over the counter, causing the smell in here.

"My partner is busy upstairs, and should finish his search shortly. That is all we have right now."

Nodding, Ibiki stored the information in his mind, giving a quick once-over of the kitchen. Blood covered some of the tiled floor, stuck in the grout. Other dried splatters marked the wall behind the oven and ruined the counter. Brown vegetables rested in a pasty goop, probably old soup. Some drawers were partially open, and the handle of a cabinet was half torn off. A dried pool of blood that was smeared toward the hallway connected to the other blood stain in the living room, telling Ibiki that the woman had been sent to the floor and dragged, and most likely dead at that point.

This was shaping up to be a confusing case. Not because it was actually a misleading case, but because there was simply no evidence. No MO, no suspect… The murders were so clean that Ibiki doubted the criminal was careless enough to leave DNA in the kitchen. Besides, the Haruno's had few if any enemies—who would want them dead? Despite their successful business, other, larger corporations viewed them as a small, independent and ignorable bother, not really denting their profits. They had no obvious opponents in Konoha either, so why?

Suddenly another ANBU was at the foot of the stairs, a small note pinched in between his index finger and thumb. Bear stopped in front of Ibiki and promptly turned over the note, his aura grim.

"This was found in the daughter's bedroom, on the bed."

Wasting no time, Ibiki flipped open the carefully folded paper, which was perfectly stark white. His smirk threatened to show teeth it stretched so far. Chuckling to himself, he triumphantly held up the paper, grasping his single piece of evidence with strong fingers.

_Please do not forget about my promise, Haruno Sakura-san. I'll be waiting._

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><p><em><strong>No BETA, please point out any humiliating mistakes. Also no reviewers to mention; reasons are obvious.<strong>  
><em>


	10. Outrage

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

457 words

FOREWORD

DOCTOR'S ANGRY GRRRR

Sorry for late update! Was battling epic war with Google Redirect Virus!

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Nine

Outrage

LEAF VILLAGE, HOSPITAL; KONOHA

Dr. Edogawa stood in silence at the door, one hand using the door's molding for support. A clipboard was tucked in the crook of his arm and a vial of sedative was gripped loosely by limp fingers. The spectacular that had played out right before his mocha eyes left his speechless and bubbling with rage. Dr. Yusho kept a level gaze, returning his stare fully. Sakura lay comatose with three males surrounding her, her face paler than it had been before he left and her eyelids swollen. Throat-choking screams of anguish alerted him, and the tall doctor had rushed to the pinkette's room, only to watch as his young patient's life shattered. Dr. Yusho's flat eyes left his and observed the pitiful girl.

Holding back the urge to assault the female doctor, Dr. Edogawa strolled into the situation and just as quickly pulled Dr. Yusho out of it, slipping the door closed behind them, in hopes that his yelling wouldn't disturb the four inside.

"Dr. Yusho," he began slowly, his tone clipped. "May I ask what the _fuck_ was that?"

"The girl needed to know, and why wait until she has returned to a happy life to once again ruin her sun?" Very slowly, the blond man's hands came up to hover above the black haired woman's pale neck. She did not react to his blatant show of anger. "How long would she have been kept in the darkness, if I had not told her now? One cannot just hide the murders of a girl's parents."

"We'd have done it as long as possible! Do you understand just how much _stress_ she is under right now? What you've done," growled Dr. Edogawa, his hands now digging into the so, so _ignorant_ woman's shoulders, "is just destroyed an already broken spirit." Dr. Yusho easily shrugged his hands off of her, leaving crumples in her pristine white coat.

"She is young and will recover." Looking up into his brown, furious eyes, Dr. Yusho admitted quietly, "I would never forgive myself if she became like me." Shoving his clipboard into her arms, Dr. Edogawa pushed Dr. Yusho back.

"And tell me, Dr. Yusho," he asked, moving to Sakura's room once again, his hand squeezing the handle, "what would Sakura become if she committed suicide?" Before she could attempt to answer his rhetorical question, Dr. Edogawa had slipped into the room, locking the door behind him. Dr. Yusho stared at the door, her fingers curling around the edge of the wooden clipboard.

"She is strong," she whispered. "Unlike me. Unlike us all." With a swish of her jacket, the black haired doctor walked away from room 138, her breaths even and slow, just like the sleeping girl's.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for the reviewers!<strong>

Black-footed **(x2)**

crazycherry459

Shiki **(x3)**

gaasakufoevah

SanDavis 687

* * *

><p><strong>Nooo BETA.<strong> **:D**


	11. Anger

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

683 words

FOREWORD

Some angst. Time jumping yay.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Ten

Anger

LEAF VILLAGE, HOSPITAL; KONOHA

Sakura was alone in her room. It had been a few days since Dr. Yusho had given her the news, and for every moment the pinkette laid awake in her bed, she switched from denial to anger and then back. On the third day, she gave up trying to feed herself lies. She could see when people would die. Her parents were dead. She was completely alone.

And she knew exactly who to blame.

Kaihou Takae, just thinking the name put a metallic taste on her tongue. Her throat closed and her heartbeat raced, all because this one damnable girl—woman—_demon_ decided the little genin with pitiful pink hair was good enough. For what, Sakura didn't know, but the confusion and hate for the woman poured into her rage, fueling it.

"Hunt me down," she had said. "I'll kill everyone you love," she had promised. But that was a punishment for not doing the former—how could Takae expect her to chase if she was confined to a hospital bed and slowly healing from the damage _she_ had caused? Sakura turned her face to the window, forever secured closed after the bird incident, and stared at the sun, willing herself to not look away. For some reason, no longer did the intense light from the giant star or even the fluorescent ceiling lights hurt to look at.

Sakura blamed that on Takae, too.

"Why did you pick me?" whispered the broken girl, grabbing the armrests connected to the hospital bed's framework. "Why," she choked out, "did you have to kill them!" No tears fell from her acid green eyes. Shifting her gaze lower, Sakura watched the small view of the village streets she had, following the civilians that chatted, shopped, and toted their children down the sidewalks.

They looked so happy, walking down there like there was nothing wrong. Their green auras matched the trees Konoha has named after, giving them all a sense of belonging. Her eyebrows scrunched together, leaving ugly creases in her forehead. No, they were the lucky ones; life would continue on for them, unlike her parents, whose futures had been snuffed out by the one woman she was growing to detest with every fiber of her being.

Why did they get to be so happy? Sakura thought. What gives them the right to smile without worrying about what will happen tomorrow? She wanted to be like that. Now, she had to live in fear of her life, of _everyone else's_ lives. "I hate you," she told Takae, hoping that some wind god would carry her message. It was her fault her parents were dead. Who was going to be next? Naruto and Sasuke? Kakashi-sensei? From the corner of her eye, Sakura spotted an old woman, hobbling down the street, joined by her cheerful, rambunctious grandson. Immediately noticeable to Sakura was the elder's brownish-red glow, like dried blood, and she smiled sadistically when she realized what it meant.

"You'll be dead soon, Grandma," she hissed out with a smile on her face. "Just like my mom and my dad, and that little boy will be alone, just like _me_." Sakura stared at them, her eyes filled with a vile happiness, tracking their progress down the street until they disappeared into the wall. Straight after she lost sight of the pair, Sakura's smile dropped from her face and she slapped her hands over her mouth. Gasping, she curled her legs into her chest, ignoring the burning in her stomach and her eyes. Her chest shuddered as her lungs panicked and her breath caught in her throat.

"How can I think like that," she cried, her voice muffled by her fingers. "How could I ever wish anything like that one someone else?" Her hands slid up to cover her eyes, shielding them from the world around her.

"I don't want to see," the girl moaned, trying to ignore the dark emotions swirling inside her. Her mind mulled over the meaning of being able to see people's figurative hourglasses. "I don't want to see this anymore. It's making me a monster."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks as always guys!<strong>

Angry Paradox

Li-chan

Rawrgoesdadino

Black-footed

IKillatFirstSight

SanDavis687

* * *

><p><strong><em>Oh my god I found 00Sakura00.<em> I'm going to go and interrogate her now!**


	12. Bargaining

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

1723 words

FOREWORD

Now we can finally begin to move forward! I know I've been boring you lately.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Eleven

Bargaining

LEAF VILLAGE, HOSPITAL; KONOHA

Dr. Edogawa stood across from her with a small chart in his hands at the foot of her bed, furiously scribbling down notes. The Hokage sat to her left, perched on the chair that normally rested by the window. When her doctor had come into her room with armfuls of paper, Sakura hadn't been surprised, but when the Hokage himself followed, her pink eyebrows shot up to the highest they could go. Clueless, she silently watched them as they made themselves comfortable in her new home, taking in the sight of their leader with her new eyes. His aura matched the scarlet coloring of the robes he wore, and for some reason the gennin felt nervous about this.

There was absolutely no way she could say anything—what if she caused the Hokage to spontaneously combust, much akin to the bird? Perhaps that only happened if their auras were gray—but she wasn't sure. Maybe certain people's glow had a different pattern? But what if she could somehow lighten the color? Would that do the opposite and make it darker, or would it only provoke the aura to turn to black? Too many uncertainties, so Sakura kept her mouth quiet, trying to reassure her that it was not her responsibility to help people.

No, right now, though the Hokage's aura was perturbing, Sakura was the one who felt like she was dying. She was the one who needed help right now. _She_ was.

"Sakura-san," Dr. Edogawa broke into her spoiled thoughts, now using her first name due to their friendship during her extended stay. "Hokage-sama and I have come to discuss your future." In the back of her mind, the girl wondered what kind of future she had left. "Due to some recent… _Incidents_, your choices are restricted."

"I apologize for your loss, Sakura-chan," the Hokage muttered, placing an aged hand on her pale one. Resisting the urge to pull away and get angry, Sakura kept her eyes on Dr. Edogawa. She hoped that once she left the hospital, not everyone would feel the need to pity the new orphan.

Orphan. The word felt bitter in her mouth. What she would give, right now, just to wake up from this nightmare.

"What choices do I have, Edogawa-san?" her voice sounded strange and flat. The blond played with the paper stack, flipping them at the corners. His guilt and the Hokage's sympathy weighed down on her shoulders, adding to the hopelessness she already felt.

"It depends on your preference. At this point in time, you are near fully healed. Your stomach and its organs have checked out okay, and any other injuries are gone. Your eyes are not exhibiting any strange characteristics…" Other than the obvious one, she heard him continue silently mentally, and she nodded. "We've decided that a course to reinstitute you in a civilian lifestyle would be best."

The various thoughts floating around in her head fell still. She recoiled into her bed, ripping her hand away from the Hokage.

"What." She hoped she sounded as furious and hysteric as she was.

"Of course, we have a suitable civilian family ready to receive you, but if you'd like to live alone instead, we can arrange it—"

"No!" she cut him off shrilly. "Why are you doing this? You… You don't—can't understand!" Sakura could not be a civilian. She had molded herself already into a ninja-mindset; she would forever feel alienated. Her family was dead—why would she want a new one so quickly? Responses such as these flitted through her mind, but one in particular caught her in a nauseous whirl.

Takae. Takae wanted her to hunt her down and kill her. Civilians could not freely cross country borders—they weren't even allowed to _train_ in the ninja arts! She needed to be a ninja to follow Takae's orders; if she didn't everyone… Everyone…!

"I," she cried out, desperate to make them change their minds, "I can't be a civillian. I won't be a civilian… I need this!" The Hokage seemed startled by her sudden shift from emotionless to raving, but her doctor was already used to such outbursts.

"Listen, Sakura-san, there's a lot happening right now, and we know that it'll be hard at first, but…"

"_No_," she bit out, rubbing circles in her temples. "Please, please, I'll do anything for this. I _need_ this." The unchanging steel of an experienced doctor choked her, and Sakura felt her body curl into a ball. She couldn't change his mind. Sakura would be forced to become a regular person, unable to do anything but count off the number of people yet to die. Her heart pained her, and somewhere in the lucid part of her consciousness, she wondered if this was an oncoming heart attack. "I'll do _anything_."

"You're that desperate, Sakura-chan?" the Hokage asked, his face crinkling into a kind, approving smile. Everything churning inside her body quieted, and she could breathe again. "If you are really serious about continuing as a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf, then…" Sakura glanced at him, making sure his eyes held only honesty.

They did.

"Oh," she wept though no tears fell, "thank you so much, Hokage-sama. Thank you." This time, it was Sakura that reached out for his hands, taking them in a fierce grip. She looked to her despicable doctor, only to see a huge grin on his face. Confused, she looked to the Hokage for an answer.

"During the investigation of your home, the ANBU found a note addressed to you, Sakura-chan," Sarutobi began, reaching into his robes. A moment later, he pulled out a starch white note, pinched between his fingers. He handed it to the gennin, continuing. "We needed to be sure of your conviction before making any further plans." With shaking hands, Sakura flipped open the letter, only to nearly tear it half right then.

_Please do not forget about my promise, Haruno Sakura-san. I'll be waiting._

Shuddering, Sakura closed the note, quickly handing back to its deliverer. She had known that Takae was the one to kill her parents, and this note only cemented it. Takae was a woman of her word, perhaps the only positive thing Sakura could attribute to the woman.

"What does this have to do with my future?" asked Sakura, pressing the heel of her palm into her forehead. "Why did you think this letter changed anything?"

"Simple." The Hokage gently rubbed the paper between his fingers, watching the paper bend to the fold. "We have strong suspicion that Kaihou Takae is your parents' murderer, and we believe that you are her next target, in case what she did at the Prelims was actually meant to finish you." Sakura snorted, hiding her upper face in the curve of her hand.

"I wish she was after me," Sakura mumbled, leaning back into her raised bed. If Takae was aiming for her, everything would have been so much simpler.

"What do you mean?" The Hokage leaned forward, his voice low. Sakura peeked an eye at him, startling in its whiteness.

'Will telling him about her true targets instantly kill them?' the pinkette wondered. Would speaking generally somehow register as her changing fate, and suddenly all her friends would be bloody messes? Maybe she could only change death by direct contact? Bottling her anger at not knowing anything, Sakura decided it probably wouldn't hurt as long as she didn't use specifics.

"Takae promised me that she would kill everyone I loved unless I hunted her," Sakura told them quietly, as if sharing a secret. "My parents must have been a warning, showing that she's serious." It was unsettling to speak of her parents so unfamiliarly. "I have to be a ninja so that I can kill her…"

"Sakura-chan." The Hokage pulled her pale hand away so that she could see his serious face clearly. Wrinkles gained from long years of tiring politics bent to highlight his downturned lips and furrowed brow. "You must understand that running after this woman will not solve anything."

"If I don't, then what? She'll just kill everyone!"

"Don't worry about that," Dr. Edogawa spoke up, putting his paperwork down. "The Hokage is going to set up ANBU patrols to watch for suspicious activity, so the chances of Kaihou coming anywhere close to Konoha citizens are slim." Nonplussed by his mollification, Sakura stared out the window listlessly, burned out from all this talk of Takae.

"If you say so." Shaking his blond head, Dr. Edogawa picked up a sheet of paper, flicking it with his index finger.

"Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about your training as a ninja." Sakura shifted her eyesight to her doctor's relaxed form, analyzing the paper that seemed to be her patient file. Immediately, the bold red word, "BLIND," caught her attention.

"Hey, why does it say—" she began, only to be swiftly cut off.

"It's the most logical choice right now," he answered, tapping the paper twice. "You mentioned to me once that it was horrible seeing what you see—" a quick glance at the Hokage told Sakura he was already partial to her new ability "—so if we put you down as a blind ninja, you have an excuse to cover your eyes." The rosette pondered this, wondering how successful this ploy would be. True, she had desperately wished for an opportunity to continue like normal, but a ninja without sight?

"Most of your colleagues," the Hokage picked up secretively, "also believe you to have lost your vision as well. When your teammates visited you a week ago, they seemed convinced." Sakura ignored the bitter clenching of her stomach at the mention of that awful day. "While I'm sure it does seem unbelievable right now, there are generous amounts of shinobi that manage to fight despite a handicap."

"I'm not worried about something like that," Sakura said, staring at the two men determinedly. "I'll make it work. I just want to know when I can start training again." 'But this time,' she added mentally, a resolution to keep herself on the right path, 'it'll be serious.'

The Hokage's thin lips pulled upward, pleased with the will of fire his ninja could express, even during difficult times. "Don't worry about that, dear. We have the perfect teacher already chosen for you."

* * *

><p><strong>Where'd all my reviewers go? I'm thankful for you guys that try to review every chapter. I hope finally moving past the hospital will be a nice March gift.<strong>

SanDavis687

Angry Paradox

crazycherry459

Black-footed

* * *

><p><strong>Waiting for 00Sakura00 to contact me again... Until then, any problems?<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>EDITED 32/12; noticed a rather obvious error  
><strong>


	13. Mentor

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

1561 words

FOREWORD

Who loves progress? I do! Sorry for being kind of late-teachers like giving us so much homework the couple weeks before vacation.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Twelve

Mentor

LEAF VILLAGE, HOSPITAL; KONOHA

Sakura fingered the white slip of fabric, her thumbs gently smoothing the creases. Dr. Edogawa would be here in a moment to escort her to her new mentor—of whom she knew nothing about, other than it was a he and he was experienced at teaching blinded ninja. She supposed she was lucky in that her situation was only a charade, but she wondered if choosing to go in "blind" was the best direction. The training would probably be slow, on top of the added stress of not relying on her sight to fight. Or move. Or cook. Or bathe. Or dress. Or do anything.

'At least I can breathe by myself,' she thought with a chuckle, pushing away at the anxiety that kept the fabric from her face. Was she ready for this? Could she do it? It wasn't the darkness that scared her, but the blindfold's significance—this would be the first step to her ultimate goal. She would find Takae. She would make her suffer as her parents had. She would protect everyone. She would fix her life.

With a calming breath, Sakura closed her eyes and murmured, "For mom and dad," and wound the fabric around her head, careful to let her bangs hang free. With a strong bandage clip so that the binding would not fall loose, she secured the fabric and let her hands fall to her lap.

Sakura opened her eyes and saw pure black.

続く

With the help of Dr. Edogawa's elbow, Sakura tentatively ventured forward into the street, placing each foot with clumsy precision. At the edge of her mind she wondered if she was digging her fingers into his arm, but ignored the thought to focus on the flat concrete. Strangely, she could feel her doctor's amusement as he directed her down the curb.

"Does my plight amuse you?" she attempted to joke, feeling more herself once out in the fresh air. Since it was law to never open the one window in her room again, the gennin had lived in the same stale air for weeks, and her attitude had fallen proportionally with the amount of fresh O2 in the small space. Stepping outside gave her a bit of cheer, and though she was hesitant to admit it, being blinded to the world made it seem like all her problems were miles away. She could see nothing to remind her of any problems—Sakura could still hear the happy giggles of children and parents, but it was their smiles that stung the most.

Dr. Edogawa laughed, and began to walk her down the streets. To where, she was not told. "Never, Sakura-san! I'm just happy that I have the pleasure of escorting a pretty little lady around Konoha is all."

'I never figured him for a flirt.' Outside of the hospital, Dr. Edogawa was much more lackadaisical. Not that she minded, of course; the less she thought about her too-white cell room the better. "Whatever, as long as I don't trip." Even if he was good at avoiding uneven pavement, Dr. Edogawa still missed the little rocks that she kicked anxiously away. "Where are we going to, anyway? You didn't tell me anything."

"We're going to your mentor's residence," he answered. "His name is Hyuuga Hisao and a part of the branch family." Sakura bristled at the thought of having to go to the Hyuuga compound. It just being the first day of her self-imposed blindness, she was still wobbly like a newborn calf, and was not keen on having all the eyes in the clan watching her every stumbling moment. Caught up in her mind, Sakura failed to plant her foot correctly. Like elastic, her ankle bent and she felt herself fall into Dr. Edogawa's side.

"Oof!" Nimbly—enough to make Sakura suspect Edogawa was once a shinobi—the taller man hoisted her upright and quickly scanned her ankle.

He chuckled, looking up at his long time patient's bandaged face. While her skin was pale, her hair hung in uneven strands over her blindfold, and her body reduced to a thin mess of girl, she had a small, embarrassed smile on her face, and for once he saw her happy. He would never tell anyone, but the doctor had lost days of sleep mulling over Sakura's condition, wondering whether if the next day she would be lying in bed catatonic and resigned, or awake in a pitiful kind of loneliness.

Finally, she would return to the girl she had been before this had ever happened. Hopefully. Probably not. Edogawa Shigure was a realist, and he knew this experience would forever change Sakura's heart, but he was also an optimist when the situation called, and he knew that Sakura would recover.

"Don't hurt yourself now," he teased, ruffling her already messy hair, "I can't deliver you to the Hyuuga as damaged goods! They'd just _look_ at me and I could explode right then and there!" Hearing Sakura's tinkling, childish laughter, Dr. Edogawa grinned and tugged her closer, and put the sad thought that soon, she would be free from his medical care at the back of his mind.

続く

LEAF VILLAGE, HYUUGA COMPOUND; KONOHA

The feeling of smooth, cold wood met Sakura as she placed her bare foot onto the floor. A chill raced up her spine at the distinct ripples in the wood as each plank met the next. She never noticed that very tiny gap before now—a side effect of only using five out of six ninja senses? She had once heard that people with disabilities like blindness or deafness found themselves making up for the deficiency with enhanced perception in other areas, but could it happen so quickly? She'd ask Dr. Edogawa later—right now she had to focus on following her escort's movements.

Time passed quickly as she tried to shadow Edogawa and ignore the curious stares of the Hyuuga—she could _still_ feel people's gazes, and it was more creepy than anything—and before Sakura realized it her toes were experiencing blades of grass and dirt. Hesitating a moment to wait for some outdoor shoes that maybe a servant had provided (that obviously she had not seen), she found her doctor continuing steadily, and guessed that it was fine. After a few more steps, the pinkette stood beside Dr. Edogawa, silent.

The inability to just rip off her wrappings and look at whoever would be her teacher bothered her, and agitation built up. Why was no one saying anything? Did she maybe take a wrong turn and she hadn't been following her guide this whole time? If so, why hadn't this person said anything—

"Haruno Sakura," a deep voice called to her. It was definitely not Edogawa's—his was rougher around the edges, while this new voice sounded like melted chocolate. Or something—having to describe people's voices was a new task for Sakura, and she wasn't sure she had the vocabulary for it. "I am pleased you have accepted my training." She heard a slight shifting in the grass and a few footsteps (the man had either been very close or had long legs).

Dr. Edogawa stepped back and the pinkette found herself now aware of the presence in front of her. A hand, much larger than her own and calloused, took her right hand and gave it a firm shake. Sakura, slightly confused at the western-style of greeting more commonly used in Suna or Iwa, returned the handshake hesitantly. "I am pleased to be your student, uh…" Embarrassingly, she had forgotten the brief mentioning her caretaker had provided earlier.

The Hyuuga chuckled, deep and rich. Like chocolate, she had to compare again, feeling aggravated with her lack of descriptive words. "Hyuuga Hisao, at your service." Her hand was dropped and a moment later clothing crinkled. Maybe he bowed? On a pure guess she bowed too, feeling another head of hair gently brush against hers. Again, Hisao laughed, and he straightened, ruffling her unruly hair into place. "We will work on your perception of other people, do not fret. Once we begin, you will be envied for your senses, trust me."

"I…" Sakura searched for words, eyes darting behind cloth. She had much to say to her new teacher; many thoughts swirled in her head, appearing as blinking dots and flashes of color in the darkness. Warnings about Takae, curiosities on her training, basic needs for life—all mulling about, trying to pass her lips. Breathing deeply, she settled on her strongest feelings. "Thank you, Hyuuga-sensei, for taking me under your wing… I can't tell you how much this means to me."

Hisao exhaled happily from his nose—Sakura quickly envisioned an older-looking Hyuuga Neji with a small grin—and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Please, call me Hisao-sensei. If you use Hyuuga, you'll call everyone in the compound." Confused on why that would matter, Sakura looked up to where she thought Edogawa stood. Her doctor sniggered and she corrected her "gaze."

"Why, Sakura-san, I thought you would have figured it out by now." Edogawa looked from Sakura's puzzled expression to Hisao's caring smile. Almost, his laugh nearly bubbled out, just imagining how Sakura's eyebrows would shoot up and wiggle in various emotions. "From now on until your training is complete, you'll be living with Hisao-san in the Hyuuga estate."

* * *

><p><strong>Many thanks to my reviewers! Man, ask and I receive! You guys are great.<strong>

Shiki

3HaH3

SanDavis687

Tenshi no Sakura

Black-footed

KasonSama

CSSisSaved

Thirrin73 (x3)

Rawrgoesdadino

crazycherry459

zero25

SweetScarlett97

Don'..Me

The Ninja Artist

* * *

><p><strong>No BETA, but I HAVE MADE CONTACT WITH 00SAKURA00. I'll see if she's still up to my work!<strong>


	14. Stereotype

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

627 words

FOREWORD

Who loves Hyuugas? I do! Sorry for being late! Also I've been spoiling you guys. Back to shorter chapters until more important things happen.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Thirteen

Stereotype

LEAF VILLAGE, HYUUGA COMPOUND; KONOHA

Sakura stood next to Hisao awkwardly, trying her best not to shuffle from foot to foot. Edogawa had departed with a cheery farewell—the pinkette imagined his face splitting into a huge shit-eating grin and flashing double thumbs up and winking—before rushing away, his footfalls making distinct clacking. Silence reigned supreme in the small garden. Maybe it was a garden; Sakura couldn't be too sure unless she risked a quick glance, and that wasn't happening any time soon. Now that she had to live with a clan known for their ability to see _everything_, her ruse was going to be even harder to hold up.

Some of her inner turmoil must have shown on her face, because Hisao began an encouraging conversation. "Don't be worried, Sakura. I know what people say about the Hyuuga compound—rest assured that the people here keep very much to themselves and you may bathe in peace." She swung her head over to Hisao's voice, her mouth hanging open. He laughed pleasantly and placed a hand on her shoulder, leader her back into the house.

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Sakura squeaked, allowing her new teacher to direct her. She couldn't lead herself, after all, and, despite never being inside, she just knew the Hyuuga compound was one of those sprawling complexes with hallways like tree branches. Some doors probably just opened into other hallways that led around in circles back into the original hallway. The man's grip on her was strong, though, and it was nice to feel confident in something as small as wandering about a house.

"Then what? Is it perhaps the Hyuuga themselves? They will be most hospitable, Sakura, and welcome you in their home, though they _are_ a bit taciturn…" The gennin sputtered. She meant no disrespect to her new caretakers, but surely she was not alone in believing Hyuuga were incapable of joking or acting so candidly. True, her only real encounters with those of the Byakugan wielders had been Neji and Hinata, both of whom were reluctant to speak with one having a superiority complex and the other a stutterer; but Hisao just seemed to defy everything she assumed of the Hyuuga stereotype.

"Oh," Hisao cut into her thoughts, quickly turning her down another corridor, "perhaps it is the living arrangements? It will just be you and I, and I promise I will only treat you with the upmost respect Sakura." The pinkette felt a blush at the implication before faltering in her steps as Hisao's words processed.

"Wait." Sakura gripped the man's wrist. "I'm living with you? I thought I'd just have my own small room."

"No, I would never allow you to do such a thing," the Hyuuga answered, still walking confidently with Sakura in stride. "I cannot leave you to fend for yourself in a personal room, blind and unfamiliar with your surroundings. Surely, you can understand that you are back at stage one—if not stage zero—of life, and must relearn to do all daily rituals over again with a handicap." His reasoning made sense but Sakura still wavered. This would mean she would have little if no time to remove the blindfold or be by herself to brood in peace, but it also promised a safe and reliable environment to adjust to her sightlessness.

"Do we have to be together at all times?" she asked quietly, trying to match the volume of Hisao's voice. He chuckled slightly before squeezing Sakura's thin shoulder.

"You won't even have to worry about me seeing anything I shouldn't," Hisao assured kindly. Suddenly his hand was gone from her left shoulder and latched onto her right, pulling the young girl into his side. "And no worries, you can still bathe in peace!"

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks everyone! Your encouragements really make me happy. Expect another update soon! And please, give me feedback on Hisao as we go along. As he will be staying with us for quite some time, I'd like to know I'm creating an enjoyable character to read.<br>**

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naive-toots

Haruno Sakumo

madin456

* * *

><p><strong>No BETA. 00Sakura00 disappeared again! She's busy with medical school, so I understand. PM me any mistakes! I do so hate them.<strong>


	15. Observation

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

1600 words

FOREWORD

OMG a rare chance for Sakura to see things! It's actually pretty difficult for me to write descriptions without sight words. Also, in case you are not familiar with Japanese homes: shogi doors are those rice paper walls that slide to the side you typically see in more traditional homes, and Japanese bathrooms normally have both a bathtub and shower, though they are not connected and people shower next to the bathtub on the tiled floor.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Fourteen

Observation

LEAF VILLAGE, HYUUGA COMPOUND; KONOHA

Sakura awoke sluggishly, rubbing crust from her eyes and yawning. She opened her eyes and glanced around quickly, spotting Hisao sitting in lotus position out on the porch. It was her official first day of training as well as the beginning of her life with the Hyuuga. Reveling in her short chance to observe fully, Sakura took this opportunity to examine the man who was her teacher and her new living quarters.

The room was simple enough, featuring neutral browns and whites that she associated with the clan. Her new home was arranged a bit strangely, she thought; the layout of the room was nothing like she had ever seen. Hisao's house consisted of a main room built as a large square, which served most purposes of a regular house. In the middle was a low table with two cushions, two tea cups placed neatly in the center. If she sat looking out at the porch, to her left was a wall holding a few cabinets and a simple kitchen, all flat against the wall. Behind her a large closet hidden by shogi doors held futons, blankets, and pillows for sleeping, which she was surprised to discover was done in the main room. To her right was another set of sliding doors, but these led into a hallway that connected Hisao's domain to the rest of the compound.

In all honesty, Sakura never expected such an arrangement. She figured that it would be a more typical set up consisting of a sitting room with doors that branched out into hallways that led to other rooms. This was much too simple and spacious for a member of a high ranking clan.

'It almost seems intentional,' the pinkette mused, her large eyes roaming the crème colored walls and appreciating the solid craftsmanship of the woodwork. 'A house like this is easy to navigate and live in, impossible to get lost or trip… There are very few surfaces to injure yourself on and everything is neatly placed so that they are easy to find.' A perfect house for a blind person, she realized with a widening of her eyes. Perhaps because of Hisao's occupation with training blind nin, he had purposefully modeled his home to accommodate their needs?

Sakura looked at her green-aura (thankfully; she would have died if it had been another color) teacher, watching his wide shoulders rise and fall with his even breaths. The Hyuuga's trademark brunette hair hung loose and reached mid-back, looking near-black without the sunlight to shine on it. As far as she could tell, he wore a simple male kimono in the color of white, with a dark blue haori over—plain colors compared to the outside garden, contrasting his earthen tones with jewel colored flowers and bright green grass. From the small amount of skin she could see, Hisao was unlike most Hyuuga in that he had a more peachy tone, probably from spending more time outside in his personal backyard.

Sadly, she would not be able to discern the contours of his face without him noticing straight away she could see, and tried to content herself with the aged image of Hyuuga Neji's visage, perhaps with a few laugh lines added. Despite this, of Hyuuga Hisao's attractiveness Sakura was assured. It must have been a specific trait of ninja clansmen, but for some reason or another they held handsome features regular people were jealous of. Neji, Sasuke—even Shikamaru and Kiba held a certain charm in their cheekbones that surpassed civilians and regular shinobi. The women, too, had been gifted prettiness to match the men's handsomeness.

Once, before all of this madness, Sakura would have cursed them in jealousy, detesting her own looks gleaned from her two merchant parents. But now, perhaps either from maturing or prioritizing, the Haruno child could care less. She would most likely never see herself enough to worry about how she appeared—her focus was on making up on all the training she neglected and protecting her loved ones. Besides, she thought to herself sorrowfully as she stroked her short pink locks and traced her jaw line with gentle hands, her traits were permanent reminders of her beloved parents. Her pink hair from her mother and her facial structure from her father would forever be with her, like living memories. The only thing she could not stand no matter how hard she tried to ignore it was her eyes, large, poison green and demonically white.

Hisao must have noticed her movement, for he leaned back to call to her. "Sakura? Are you awake now?" Jumping from his sudden presence, Sakura shut her eyes quickly, trying her best not to squint them nervously. Had he seen? The light from the porch filtered through her eyelids, showing her only fleshy orange and blue veins.

"Yeah," she responded lowly, unwilling to ruin the peacefulness of Hisao's home. Inwardly, she was grateful that her teacher ended up living separate from the main household. "What time is it?"

"I'm not sure." Sakura heard soft scratching against wood and a few joints popping into place, followed by feet stepping closer. "I have a habit of getting lost in my meditation. If you would like, I have brought you a new set of clothing—you may freshen yourself in the bathroom down the hall on the western wall."

Touched that a man she barely knew had gone out and selected a new training outfit specifically for her, Sakura rose from the floor carefully, using her hands to steady herself as she brought her knees up. Luckily she had seen the hallway Hisao spoke of before when she observed the room, and knew the general path to follow. "Thank you, Hisao-sensei," the girl said, walking slowly to the only hallway in the house. "You are much too kind."

"I could not let you train in one of my old robes, yes? It already nearly swallows you whole." True, the kimono Hisao had lent her for the night pooled at her feet and hung off her hands, but the feeling of being completely surrounded in warmth comforted her, reminiscent of her father.

"At least it smells nice," Sakura joked back, outstretching her arms to feel for the wall. Following it carefully, she reached another door—a rice paper one, if her fingers felt correctly. Quickly, Sakura slide the door open and slipped in before shutting it with a clack. Exhaling, she opened her eyes and watched the fireworks fade away. The bathroom was fairly large, with a small changing room and a washroom split by a pane of glass. On a small ledge jutting out of the opposite wall sat her folded clothing, ominous in their completely black coloring. Pure white bandages rested atop them as well as a pair of undergarments.

Sighing, Sakura began to disrobe, careful to handle Hisao's kimono. Off went her hospital-issued panties and bra into a basket which she assumed was the hamper. Reaching for a towel provided conveniently next to her clothing, the pinkette nearly had a heart attack when Hisao knocked on the door.

"If you need help," came his gentle voice, "just give me a shout. Don't hesitate to call if you can't find something or feel nervous. The bottles in the shower have beveled names so you can feel which is which, as does the shower faucet." Sakura watched his shadow on the door stand silently, waiting an answer.

"Thank you, but I think I'll be fine!" Sakura replied, clutching the towel to her chest instinctively. Hisao rumbled in response and retreated down the hallway. Releasing a breath she hadn't noticed she'd held, Sakura stepped into the shower, noticing that everything really _was_ labeled in raised letters. Probably for the ease of people who had no time to learn Braille, she concluded, turning the shower to a pleasing temperature. As she washed, the gennin once again was brought to her thoughts. Various topics flitted through her mind, bringing with them the appropriate emotions. Her parents. Takae. Her vision. Her new mentor and his house. The water from the showerhead disguised the few tears that slipped, joining the growing pool at the bottom of the floor.

続く

Sakura stared at herself in the mirror, her reflection surrounded by fog from her hot shower. Her damp hair fell in her face—for the first time she noticed it had been shredded further by Takae's attack, leaving her already uneven cut choppy and over her forehead. Her eyes stared back with an intensity she did not even try to emit, naturally intimidating and alien with their missing pupils and thin irises. The thin scar from the scythe ran across her face, highlighting her eyes. She was paler and thinner from her ordeal. The new clothing Hisao had gotten for her—a long sleeved black shirt with a small collar and white Haruno circles on the shoulders and back along with a pair of long shorts that gave her legs much breathing room—was loose on her skeletal frame, further defining her weak condition. In her hands laid the white cloth of her blindfold, prepared to cut her off from the visionary world yet again. Strangely, Sakura noted as she slowly wound the cloth around her head and over her eyes, Hisao had not provided any kind of footwear for her. Guessing he would give her something later, Sakura secured the blindfold tightly, before standing straight and breathing deeply.

The world of darkness greeted her with open arms, and she slowly made her way to the bathroom door, ready for Hisao-sensei's instruction.

* * *

><p><strong>Thank you everyone! Here's another chapter for your perusal. A bit boring, but I needed to get the basis of everything down. Isn't Hisao such a nice guy?<strong>

crazycherry459

Rawrgoesdadino

KasonSama

IKillatFirstsight

Kiria4L

Black-footed

madin456

taida

SanDavis687

Evil Is A Relative Term

Luka1Sakura

* * *

><p><strong>No BETA, but I figure I do well on my own enough. Any mistakes?<strong>


	16. One Thousand Steps

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

1244 words

FOREWORD

Sorry for being late; life got in the way.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Fifteen

One thousand Steps

LEAF VILLAGE, HYUUGA COMPOUND; KONOHA

"Your training, Sakura, you must understand, will take much longer than the month given to Chuunin Exam finalists," Hisao explained to his student. Sakura sat across from him in the garden, both in meditative positions.

"I never expected a miracle," Sakura sighed, a bit frustrated that there was no magic method her Hyuuga teacher was going to impart onto her. The wind rustled her shorn tresses, tickling her jaw, and she was sure that Hisao's unbound cascade of brown waved gently.

Her teacher's tone was pleased, hinted with a tinge of excitement. "Good. But make no mistake—you _will_ be more than functional at the end of this mild June." The term "functional" put her at edge, but Sakura had to remind herself that this was her own choice. As long as those around her believed she was truly blind, life would be a constant power struggle to prove herself.

She made a decision, and she would stick with it.

"We will begin with the basics," Hisao informed and rustled a bit in movement. "Harumi, thank you for retrieving my supplies. I would have spent all day trying to find them in the storage room." Sakura jumped at the presence of another person, trying to hear something that gave a clue about the other Hyuuga's place. The grass softened footsteps, however, and she could hear nothing identifiable as a third person.

"It was nothing." A girl, her voice gave away. There was a quick exchanging of wooden boxes, obvious by their clacking, and Hisao bid his relative a good day. The girl did not respond and quickly retreated into the main building, a slap of a shoji door Sakura's only evidence. Silence filled the clearing briefly, and Sakura wondered what Hisao was doing. He wasn't looking at her, or she would have felt some sensation—so he must have been inspecting the box.

After a moment spent on her part ruing her lack of perception, Hisao spoke up. "This box is the beginning of your training," he told her, removing the wooden lid with minimal noise. She heard metal clinking as he went through the contents. Sakura wondered if he was going to give her a kunai of some sort—perhaps he was going to teach her how to aim blind? As various scenarios flitted through her mind, Hisao found what he had searched for with a triumphant chuckle. "Here you are, Sakura. Please stretch out your hands."

Attentive and curious, the pinkette did just that, her palms face up and fingers slightly curled to accept whatever Hisao was granting her. Cool metal fell into her waiting hands, chilling them. Carefully Sakura wrapped her fingers are the item, just in case it had a sharp edge. Strangely, it did not feel like a kunai at all, or any weapon for that matter; one edge was deeply beveled with many swirling designs, fat and heavy. As her fingers traveled to the other end, she noticed the metalwork stopped and became rather plain and thin. Just as it squeezed inward, though, the strange item flared out again, but still lacking in any decoration. Still stumped, Sakura fingered the other end, surprised to find tiny spikes prick her fingers.

'What in the world is this?' Sakura questioned herself, quickly running her fingers over the metal again and again. Slowly compared to her rapid finger strokes, a picture formed in her mind of the item. Not too long, made of metal, one end fatter and designed that slimmed into another flat end that split into teeth…

"Oh!" Sakura exclaimed, tapping her finger on the item's teeth. She felt Hisao's watchful gaze as she searched for a word in her mind. She had seen something like this once when her family had taken a trip to Iwa long ago—a utensil they made out of shining metal to spear bits of food. The name stung at the tip of her tongue, fogged by the passing of years.

"Figure out what it is?" asked Hisao patiently, a smile in his voice. Sakura nodded once, bouncing her knee to jog her memory. She was so close!

"Yeah, I remember seeing something like this when I went on a trip to Iwa with my mom and dad—" Something choked in her throat as happy memories suddenly came back to her. Dad, trying to use foreign utensils to eat—Mom, holding up pretty clothes for her little girl—the three of them, sitting on a hill watching famous Iwa fireworks—scenes of her parents smiling, laughing, _alive_ filled in the blackness of her sight. She felt a few tears escape and took a shuddering breath.

No, she couldn't lose it here. This was not the time to cry for her parents, no matter how lethal the pain. This training was for their memory, to set what was right. Sakura could not afford to let her mourning steal precious time that she could spend bettering herself to face Takae. 'Deep breaths. I can cry later. Right now, Hisao-sensei is watching me and _I need to calm down._' Gradually her throat eased its constricting force, and Sakura forced her sadness away. Hisao sat in stony silence as she fought her inner turmoil.

"It's…" she began shakily, the tiniest of quavers in her voice, "It's called a fork. They use them in Iwa." Her grip on the fork was tense as her teacher kept quiet.

"Very good," he praised at long last, his calming tenor unchanged. Sakura almost cried at the small, kind smile she could hear in his soothing voice. "You make me proud, Sakura, know that." Sakura sniffled and gave her own half grin.

"But why show me a fork?" She wasn't going to be fighting close combat with that thing anytime soon.

"When I said you were starting as base zero, I meant it," Hisao clarified, placing the fork back into the wooden box with a plink. "We will be learning how to identify items by sight, and these specially-ordered tableware sets from Iwa are perfect to recognize slight differences in everyday items."

"How is that useful…?" Sakura lowly questioned, sniffing one last time. As much as she wanted to believe in Hisao, touching silverware didn't seem like the best way to get back on the field.

"Life is much more than fighting, Sakura." Hisao sounded like he had explained this many times over. "You will wake up in the morning, get dressed, make breakfast, go train, shop for groceries, go home, eat dinner, wash yourself, and go to bed, only to repeat when the sun rises. This," he lifted up a metal utensil, "is how you will learn to be more than just an invalid. The journey of one thousand steps must begin with the first. You cannot run before you can walk, so it is true that you cannot throw a kunai without knowing you have one in your grasp."

"I… see," Sakura hesitated, wondering if the phrase wasn't too oxymoronic as this point. Hisao didn't think so and laughed, reaching over to place a hand on her head. Unlike Edogawa, the Hyuuga man refrained from ruffling it, letting its weight comfort her.

"There is so much for you to learn, Sakura. In due time, you will find what you seek, but for now we must begin slowly, with little achievements every day." They both smiled at each other, Sakura's blindfold hiding the lone, grateful tear that escaped her eye.

* * *

><p><strong>Lots of love and thanks guys! Love ya!<strong>

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KasonSama

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00Sakura00 **(X100000010912029013901)**

* * *

><p><strong>00SAKURA00 I SEE YOU READING AND REVIEWING THIS<br>**

**ARE YOU GONNA BETA ME OR WHAT GUUURRRRLLLL  
><strong>


	17. Promise

SUMMARY

There was another surprise waiting in the Chuunin Exams. A mysterious woman chooses Sakura and forces an ultimatum: hunt me down, or I'll kill everyone you love.

RATING

High T

LENGTH

676 words

FOREWORD

Japanese terms you may or may not know: the _engawa_ of a Japanese home refers the veranda before the backyard of a home. It normally is built above the ground with decent crawlspace underneath… The perfect kind of hiding place for little girl ghosts in horror games, haha.

I really love classic Japanese instruments as well. I really suggest going and looking up traditional music… That will definitely describe sounds better than I ever could.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Sixteen

Promise

LEAF VILLAGE, HYUUGA COMPOUND; KONOHA

Sakura sighed, relaxing into her futon. Night had fallen over Konoha, blanketing even Hisao's brilliantly colored garden with a coating of shadows. She had left the garden doors open so that the cool outside air could waft in, greeting her cheeks with the faintest of caresses. At present she laid alone in the disjointed house, Hisao having left earlier with an attendant to go to some kind of clan meeting. Unknowing of the matters for the meeting but not really caring, Sakura felt fine with being left alone for a few hours.

"I'll return before morning," had been Hisao's parting words before he had quietly left the house. They had just finished dinner after a successful session of identifying household items before he was whisked away. She hadn't thought on it previously, but Sakura was suddenly curious about her teacher's standings within the clan. He was high enough to own his own home separate from the compound and house total strangers there. Perhaps he was a direct relative of a councilman? Regardless, Hisao's interesting status had only given her good luck in this dark time.

Lulled into a sense of security and solitude, Sakura removed her blindfold, careful to stack the fabric near her pillow for the morning. Shuffling in Hisao's oversized kimono, the pinkette moved to the engawa, freely observing the night sky.

"The stars are beautiful," she thought to herself, lounging with her feet hanging off the edge of the wood. Off in the distance she could hear a traditional bamboo souzu, its hollow clack reverberating through the silence. Struck by a poetic mood, Sakura closed her eyes, not minding the complete blackness that greeted her, and simply listened. If the souzu kept the steady beat of the taiko drum, then the pond fountains flowing through hollowed bamboo were the constant flutes, the crickets diligent shimasen players, the cicadas the rapid koto players, the wind the soft chorus. Perhaps it was only after she had deprived herself of daytime light that Sakura could finally appreciate the simple beauty of sounds and sights she had previously ran passed.

Sitting in Hisao's oversized, lavender-scented robes underneath the blinking stars and surrounded by the night's orchestra, Sakura was very tempted to lie down and sleep. A few tears escaped her eyes but a smile kept to her face. Her parents watched over her from the heavens—the wound still throbbed with freshness, but she simply knew that they hadn't abandoned her. Physically they had been destroyed, tortured, and bled out, and this would forever haunt her. However, Sakura knew that she could not allow herself to hold onto their harsh deaths. If she grasped onto their spirits like a baby and its toy, how would they fully ascend to their greatest place of resting?

Crying in their memory and avenging their deaths would be the greatest honor she could bestow them. She would look back and always remember the man and woman who brought her into the world with nostalgia and reverence. They would not want to watch her continue through life listlessly.

Resolute in her feelings, Sakura made a silent promise to the moon and its nightly splendor. "I will not hold myself back. I will continue to live to carry Mother and Father's memory. I will become stronger in their honor. I will find Kaihou Takae and kill her. I will avenge those who have died and protect those who live." Wiping away the traces of tears from her cheeks, the girl suddenly felt drained, both emotionally and physically. With a hand pressed against her thumping heart, she crept back inside, slipping under the blankets.

Before long she fell asleep, her breathing evening out and serious face easing. So faintly that the glow from the moon nearly smothered it, a purple light appeared over Sakura's chest, highlighting the pitch-black magatama through her translucent skin, as if a flashlight had been beamed through her. The stone, flat through Sakura's alit flesh, glinted for a moment before gradually dimming out just as suddenly as it flared up.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for all your support! It's a bit short, but I feel that this is important to show Sakura is not and never will be some Sasuke-clone. Sasuke fell into deep depression and anger after his family's death; Sakura will mourn for them but she knows they wouldn't want to watch her end her life like an empty doll.<strong>

****00Sakura00 **(x16)**

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><p><strong>00Sakura00 I'll send you a PM soon! In the meantime, notice any mistakes?<strong>


	18. Visiting Hours

LENGTH

1344 words

FOREWORD

I leave for a bit to find that ff's layout is all different? Not sure about my feels. I still want a cover image function. Sorry for poofing—finished school and went to animeNEXT. Yay for summer!

EDIT: As I went to upload this chapter, I NOTICED THERE IS A BOOKCOVER FUNCTION! THE ANGELS SING!

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Seventeen

Visiting Hours

LEAF VILLAGE, HYUUGA COMPOUND; KONOHA

The slight sound of a foot meeting polished wood startled Sakura out of sleep. Furrowing her eyebrows, the girl perked up her ears to hear any other noises—when there were none, her expression eased into a soft smile. Hisao must have come back, and was creeping around in an attempt to not wake her.

'Too bad for him my hearing has gotten better,' Sakura thought, positioning her hands to grasp her blankets. Perhaps, if she was feigning sleep well enough, she might be able to surprise her teacher… Content with her plan, Sakura took in a deep breath and tensed. After a moment's silence, she pulled herself up, careful to keep her eyes closed.

"Welcome back, Hisao-sensei—" Long fingers wrapped around her mouth, squeezing just enough to keep her from moving her jaw. Sakura's eyes shot open, somehow completely adjusted to the darkness. She gasped, feeling ill as two perfect orbs of venomous purple looked back. The faint moonlight arched over her smiling cheeks as Kaihou Takae loosened her grip. Sakura's own green rings shook as they rapidly took in Takae's form leaning over her own.

Bile rose to her throat at Takae's amicable voice. "It's nice to see you again so soon, Haruno Sakura. Training, too… I am very proud of you, not chasing after me mindlessly—if you had, I would have not wasted any time in killing your friends!" Without thought, a scream began to tear itself from the pinkette's mouth, only for Takae to dig her fingers into her prisoner's cheeks. "Now, now, we can't alert the whole compound, Haruno Sakura… If you can speak with me like a good girl, I will let go of your face." With one last pinch, she asked, "Do we have a deal?"

Breathing heavily, Sakura nodded, her whole body rocking in its motion. Tears glistened as they fell from her eyes to gather in the gaps between Takae's fingers. Slowly the pale hand slipped from Sakura's face, leaving small bloody trails. "Good." The luminescent purple discs curved with her smile, looking down and never leaving Sakura's gaze.

"H-how did you get in here?" Sakura asked shakily, voice cracking. Before her stood her parents' murderer, in full health and all smiles. The Hokage had said the village would be on high alert for her signature—what kind of techniques did she know that would allow her to slip into a whole ninja village undetected? Maybe it was because she looked different; though difficult to see in the dim light, Takae appeared as if she had aged ten years compared to her Chuunin Exam counterpart. Her hair was short and very dark in the night, and her skin much paler. Her clothing was all black for stealth, and thankfully her sickle nowhere to be seen. Just thinking about that wound stung her eyes.

Takae watched as the young flower-haired child wilted under her stare, fear and hatred coiling in her body. For a single second her gaze flickered to the genin's chest, a satisfied grin making its way onto her face. Poisonous green rings glowed in the dark, mimicking her purple ones, as they should. White disks hid her human weakness. The magatama had accepted its host with great ease.

"How did you get in here?" Sakura demanded, her voice hoarse and rising in volume. Her enemy made a gesture with her hand, sending the younger girl recoiling. Eyes wide and wet, still bleeding from the cheeks, and instinctually clutching her stomach—Takae's smile grew wider.

"The how does not matter, my dear child," the woman answered gaily. "What does matter is that I am here to speak with you." Sakura gulped, trying to swallow the panic threatening to sweep her mind. One half of her mind hated her for being so weak and hating Takae for making her this frail; the other quivered as memories prepared an onslaught on her thoughts.

"What d-do you want?" Takae blinked slowly and Sakura's breaths came out in rapid bursts.

"To inform you of some things." Takae stepped back and leaned against the countertop, still keeping a straight stare. "To shed some light on the bounty of Seikyou-sama." Tapping a long finger on her chest, she continued, "The stone that resides within you is now part of your body and soul. It is a channel between yourself and She who governs slumber… Through it you shall receive gifts of power, of which I'm already certain you have witnessed."

"Like what?" Sakura asked, curious but staying a distance away. If she could glean some information from Takae, maybe she could hone this power…

"For example, you are right now seeing me perfectly." Takae took a hand and splayed out her fingers. Sakura could see each exactly, even if there was no color in her grayscale environment. "The boundaries of light that humans are weakened by no longer apply to you. It does not matter how much light is in an area, for you will see all that stands before you."

"Night vision?" whispered Sakura, risking a chance to look at her own trembling hands. Takae made a sound of agreement, sending the rosette's eyes up again.

"In a sense, you could crudely put it as such." Takae then gestured to her entire self. "Other small benefits exist as well: augmented healing, enhanced senses… And what you could call a never-ending well of chakra."

"A well of chakra?" The concept was foreign to a ninja so lacking in the energy, such as Sakura. "You mean to say I can never run low?" Images of her standing over Takae's body, utilizing Kage-level techniques flitted across her mind.

Yet another smile perked up Takae's lips. "Not exactly. You will understand once you begin more serious training." For the first time, Takae truly broke eye contact and looked off to the garden, highlighted by the moon's light. Something flashed there, Sakura thought, but it was gone in an instant, and Takae's mask was back in place. "Now, I believe that's all…"

"No," Sakura interrupted, anger taking over as her primary emotion. "No, there is still…" Takae reveled in the intensity of the young girl's gaze, waiting for her to continue her thought. Sakura glared at the murderer in front of her, frantically searching for what she knew had to be there. "There are still those auras I see! Why can't I see yours?"

"Ah, the true gift!" Takae cheered, her teeth white in the moonlight. "Is it not glorious? The power to see life pass before your very eyes…" She leaned down to Sakura's eyelevel, whispering in a _conspirational_ tone, "The power to control life itself…"

Jerking back, Sakura pushed Takae away, her hands burning where she came into contact. Takae stumbled, still smiling as emotions warred behind Sakura's eyes.

"Oh, Haruno Sakura, you do not realize how beautiful it is to see life vanish with your own eyes," Takae sighed, as if remembering an old feeling. "My life no longer belongs to the natural flow of things, as it belongs to Seikyou-sama." Her eyes darted to the door and crinkled into an upside-down smile. "It is time for me to depart… I will return to my home, but remember, I will always be watching."

Sakura covered her face with a hand, waving away Takae with the other. "Go away, I don't care! I don't want this! It's your entire fault and I'll kill you for it!" Takae stood at the engawa, basked in the moon's glow, pleased with the pinkette's words.

"Make sure you do, Haruno Sakura." She turned to the moon. "Remember, power is not given for free. Remember your oath… To me and to your parents." She leapt off into the night, leaving Sakura alone.

Numb and filled with raging emotions, Sakura fell to the ground, no longer able to stay up. Footsteps approached the house's door, but Sakura couldn't muster enough energy to respond. The last thought that stayed at the forefront of her mind as she fell into unconsciousness was, 'When did Takae hear my pledge?"

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for staying with me guys! Sorry for taking a break to finish up finals! Also: I understand that some of you aren't very fond of the slow pace I'm taking with this... I just would like for you guys to understand that this isn't going to change; I'm writing itako in a slow style because that's how I wish to explore Sakura's development. There will be faster portions, but if you dislike slow development, I'm afraid you won't be happy with future updates. I encourage you to stay with me, but if it ends up not being your cup of tea I understand. I'll still listen to criticisms regardless, but know they aren't going to affect the story that much. OTHER fics maybe, but not this one.<strong>

**Also I will try to expand on some concepts. If you guys don't get something, please tell me! Sometimes its intentionally left out, but other times its me being a writer and knowing too much about my own plot!  
><strong>

**SHAMELESS PLUG: IF ANY OF YOU GUYS READ KAKURENBO, KNOW THAT I AM ACTUALLY REWRITING IT AND THE PROLOGUE IS DONE AND CHILLING ON MY HARD DRIVE. KEEP WATCHING FOR IT.  
><strong>

madin456**  
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><p><strong>Gonna see if 00Sakura00 is open for the summer. Go Grammar egg hunting, my dear readers!<strong>


	19. Comfort

LENGTH

1098 words

FOREWORD

Life is busy and without much time for frolicking.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Eighteen

Comfort

LEAF VILLAGE, HYUUGA COMPOUND; KONOHA

Hisao hesitated at his own doorstep, keen ears picking up faint sobbing. Short, violent intakes of breath, stapled with a distinctly wet noise—Sakura was trying to withhold her tears. A quick flare of unfamiliar chakra caught his attention. It was leaving his garden, dampened with stealth jutsu strong enough to hide from most other ninja. The signature was not overtly aggressive, however, but the connection was too obvious to ignore. Sakura had had a visitor tonight, one that could send his slowly healing charge into tears.

Inside the adjoining room, the pink-haired genin was crumpled in a small huddle, trying to reorganize herself. Takae had appeared, seemingly to only give her some vague information, but could that really be all? Her parents' faces flashed in her mind, and Sakura was quick to pray that she would not be sent a messenger in the morning. That antagonistic kunoichi could only be associated with death and pain, the despair she caused venomous like her eye color. Without a doubt, Sakura despised her—but what she hated more than Takae's existence was her own complete inability to do anything but cry.

A woman that had taken everything away from her, had scarred her and ripped her peace apart, had stood before her and what had she done? Nothing but freeze and stare, quivering in fear. She could have made some kind of attempt to fight, mar that pleased cat's face—it would have been a stupid move, but Sakura would have done some _something _at the least. But no, when it came to Takae, Sakura discovered true helplessness. Was it learned, conditioned subconsciously by her own body to lie before that woman, so that she had no reason to lash out again? Or could it be something else, some power that kept her from rising up and retaliating?

'I can't be like this anymore,' Sakura thought, her mouth pressed in a firm line to cage weak cries. 'What a disgusting example of how useless I really am. If I can't change this, I might as well roll over and apologize to everyone now!' The door opened before she could berate herself more, allowing someone to pad into the room delicately. Immediately the girl shut her eyes, thankful that her back faced whoever had entered.

"Nightmare?" Hisao's gentle voice eased her tense shoulders, covering the rest of her body like a comforter. How could someone she had known for so little have so much influence over her already? One day, Sakura might attribute it to a fragile psyche, but at that moment the scared, trembling girl could only be grateful for his kind personality.

She turned around as she answered, careful to also finger her blindfold, which lay in a crumpled heap next to her pillow. "Kind of," Sakura muttered, deftly tying the fabric around her head. After that, she was going to be too paranoid to sleep—though she also suspected that a few night terrors would find their way to her as well.

"Hmm." Her Hyuuga guardian eased himself to sit by her side, a large hand reaching around her shoulders to tug her closer. Again, Sakura was reminded of how different Hisao was to the rest of his family; the ones that she knew would have never used contact to provide comfort. "Would you like to speak about it?"

"No," she said promptly, not even letting Hisao finish his question. She knew that keeping things bottled would only hurt her more, but Sakura felt like this was something that couldn't be shared—at least, not yet. It was silly, but she felt in the bottom of her gut that simply speaking Takae's name could summon that woman, like she was some kind of contract beast. Sakura wanted to keep that night's events under wraps until she could think of that woman without shuddering. If she relied on Hisao now, desensitizing herself to Takae's influence would be that much harder.

'It has to be me alone,' she thought. 'Takae is my burden.' As Sakura reflected, Hisao was keenly watching his student. Obviously she was troubled, but he couldn't force her to spill her secrets. That mysterious visitor hadn't shed any blood; all they had done was disturb the young genin. He would have to bring up this matter of intrusion to Hiashi, however. A ninja skilled enough to evade an entire complex of advanced doujutsu users? The thought was worrying and implied a few things Hisao didn't want to even contemplate.

'What kind of shinobi has that skill? And if they can infiltrate the Hyuuga Compound, where else could they break into…?' This breach of security worried him; even if that person had done nothing but see Sakura, a ninja had still managed to slip in. The Hyuuga man hoped it turned out to be just exemplary stealth and jutsu that had aided the ninja, not a rusting of Konoha's sentry.

A slimy sniffle reminded him of the poor girl he supported. She definitely looked worse for the wear, and her clammy skin hadn't helped her case. "Go wash your face," Hisao told Sakura softly, squeezing her shoulder. "After that, we can move our futons closer and I'll let you sleep with me."

Ignoring the slight innuendo, Sakura nodded and left her teacher's embrace, slowly rising from the floor. Too quickly for someone just introduced to the house, she felt her way to the bathroom and slipped in. With the door firmly shut behind her, Sakura ripped off her blindfold and bent over the sink. As the water heated, she looked up at the worn face reflected at her. With trembling hands, she lightly touched the bloody streaks left on her cheeks from Takae's grasp. They were small, but very obvious compared to her pale complexion. How had Hisao not seen them? Perhaps he had, and instead opted to not comment?

'I don't care,' Sakura dismissed. She craned her head down and with great force splashed water onto her face. To an onlooker, it would seem more like she was trying to drown herself rather than clean up. Regardless, the sensation of the warmed water over her sweaty skin refreshed her. 'If Hisao-sensei doesn't want to ask about it, then that's okay. All I need is for him to be there.'

With a few quick movements the sink was drained and the blindfold wrapped around her head quickly, hiding the world from her yet again. 'Or,' Sakura thought as she slid her way to Hisao and warm hands, 'maybe it's hiding me from the world?'

* * *

><p><strong>I'd apologize for being pretty much AWOL, but I think you all know better than that now. Just take my busy life in stride.<strong>

**Really sad that I'm not making this into a hot Sakura/Hisao story. Psh. Older, mature Hyuuga men? Oh, please, take it easy on me.  
><strong>

**_Also oh my sweet jesus guys kfjdslkfjfsl Neji why Neji no no Kishi why would you ohhh Neji nonononono-_  
><strong>

**_...  
><em>**

**Thank you for your continued support. It means much more to me than I can say.  
><strong>Thirrin73

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	20. Touch

LENGTH

1575 words

FOREWORD

Aside from a few breakdowns, all has been well. I really want this to move faster.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Nineteen

Touch

LEAF VILLAGE, HYUUGA COMPOUND; KONOHA

It took Sakura a few moments to realize that when she awoke, she wasn't in that black expanse with the Black Woman, a common sight after a meeting with Takae. Hisao's white ceiling greeted her, reflecting the light of day. She must have slipped her blindfold off in the middle of the night while asleep—it was tangled halfway up her hair, part of it lying askew across her forehead. With a fleeting feeling of panic, she looked to her side to see if her caretaker was awake and now fully aware of her secret, but he was still dozing off. Sakura blushed a little with this chance to really inspect her temporary sensei's face—they had gotten closer in the night, with Hisao's longer arms draped across her chest gently. He slept on his side toward her, and Sakura only had to thank the gods that her habit of sleeping prone on her back kept her from getting too close.

'I wasn't too far off with my earlier guess,' Sakura thought to herself as her eyes scanned the Hyuuga's features. Hisao did have a similar facial structure as Neji's, but his face was thinner, and had higher cheekbones. It was more elegant than Neji's younger, squarer face, but also a touch more female. Hisao, with this kind of face complementing his long, dark brown hair and long eyelashes, couldn't pass as a girl without some makeup, but certainly was pretty enough to look like one from the corner of her eye.

His relaxed featured twitched under her intense gaze, and Sakura turned her head and shut her eyes quickly. Just as she expected, Hisao began to stir not long after—he stretched as he awoke, leading to an embarrassing and close squeeze when he flexed his arms. Yet again, she wondered if there were more Hyuuga who openly accepted skinship. Considering their traditional upbringing and stoic mannerisms, Sakura guessed not. Hisao must have been born as an anomaly to the Hyuuga clan.

The shifting of blankets alerted the young genin to her teacher's movements; he quietly slipped from the joined futons, sure to tuck in the extra blankets into her side to make up for the lost warmth. His hands ghosted over her face, and Sakura struggled not to flinch. Smoothly he tugged the blindfold from her face, slipping from her hair and folding it next to her head. She was surprised to feel his thumb lightly trace the scar across her face—with a kind brushing of his knuckles across her cheek, Hisao left her side and stepped out onto the engawa.

She felt like crying. Hisao was too much like her mother in that way—Haruno Sayuri was a touchy-feely person fueled on human contact, and it had been common for the two of them to sit on the couch, Sakura perched on her mother's lap. Sayuri would run her hands all over Sakura's face, tugging her little nose and squishing her cheeks—when it came time for bed, Sakura remembered vividly the feel of her mother's fingers brushing the hair from her eyes, resting on her wide forehead like a goodnight kiss all their own. It had been very easy to imagine her mother's face as Hisao did the same.

With a quiet, shuddering breath, Sakura rose from her bed. Carefully she wrapped the blindfold around her face once more, picking up the stray tears with the cloth. How many little things would she begin to notice now? Tiny, cherished moments in her memory hidden away by time—could she handle this sadness over and over again?

'Is this what Sasuke feels like?' Sakura wondered, using her hands to help push her into a standing position. A bit clumsily, she tugged the wrinkles out of her clothes and finger-combed her hair. Hisao would tell her if there was a strand sticking up, but she didn't quite care anyway. Her thoughts continued as she stumbled her way to the general direction of the garden, arms stretched out to feel any objects in her way. 'It really was true when he told me that I couldn't understand his and Naruto's pain—I would never have been able to imagine a sorrow like this.'

It vaguely registered in her mind that this was the first time she had thought of her teammates in almost a week. Her whole world was flipping upside-down, and she didn't know how to handle it. The only way she could cope right now was by focusing on what was in front of her—it never occurred to her that her teammates might have reservations about being on a team with a cripple.

続く

"You're doing well, Sakura," Hisao commented from the porch as she practiced on some basic kata. "Many people who've been blinded often go through a stage of incredible disorientation—their balance isn't what it used to be, and they find themselves falling over when faced with difficult tasks like sparring." The training for today was to focus on her ability to sense her immediate surroundings while in motion. Hisao had told her about a ninja's automatic inclination to rely on their eyes while fighting: it was more than just watching your opponent; your eyes take visual cues from the area around it and the limbs it can see to assist the brain in forming an idea of your position in an area and the relation of the ground to your body parts. Ninja also used their eyes for depth perception and measurement. "You did not think your legs just _knew_ how far to jump when traveling by trees, right Sakura?" he had teased with a grin.

Sakura wasn't sure, but it didn't seem as hard as Hisao had made it out to be. He forewarned her that she shouldn't be surprised if she fell down constantly, and that higher skilled ninja had a hard time with this as well. She could understand where he was coming from, but she had only tripped a few times in the beginning—right now she was finishing up the third of the standard kata Hisao had delegated to her to practice. While it was very strange to move around in seemingly endless space, the genin felt surprisingly sure about her body movements. She just knew that she wasn't going to fall, like her body had been blind for years.

Her teacher must have thought the same, with the silence that stretched between them. Hisao had a habit of offering constant encouragement and tips throughout her exercises, and only went quiet if he was contemplating a way to make the transition easier. He went silent often and suddenly whenever she surprised him—not that she was complaining. If anything, his constant silence meant that she was progressing faster than he had anticipated, and she could return to true training soon.

Hisao, meanwhile, was perfectly astounded by his current student. Sakura was mastering control much faster than even his most advanced patient had recovered the skill. Her movements were so convincing, he even had to remind himself for how long she had been blind. It was true that she had a surprising level of competence when moving around the house, but it was still punctuated with occasional stumbles and bumps. Once she had slipped into a fighting stance, however, it was like she had never been handicapped. Granted, her first few attempts were awkward, but she experienced steady improvement from then on.

He wondered if the small chakra source hovering right over her chest had anything to do with Sakura's abilities. Edogawa's file on her had been a little clouded on some aspects of the girl's surgery, with vague mentioning of some "internal presence" causing problems during the healing. Hisao knew something was off with his young student from the first time they had met. True, she certainly did wander around like a blind person, but there was something about her personality that did not fit. His other students had always felt insubstantial, like they were missing a piece of their soul. They drifted along and sat quietly to themselves, brooding. Their smiles never pulled up at the edges or showed teeth genuinely.

Sakura, on the odd chance he caught her in a mood when she wasn't thinking of her parents, smiled like a person healing from a great loss. But that loss was not something as intrinsic to her as her eyes—no, it was purely emotional. Sakura had the air of a person who lost her family, not her sight.

For whatever reason, she was hiding things from him. He couldn't fathom why, but she wasn't willing to just tell him outright. And Hisao, as a gentleman of cultured upbringing, had enough respect to refuse to go hunting through the official files in search of answers. No, he would wait until Sakura felt comfortable enough to share her burdens with him.

'If that is the case,' he thought to himself, smiling at Sakura's panting form, 'then I must make it into a reassuring situation. I had always planned on telling her about myself… Perhaps allowing her to know my own secrets will inspire her?' Without any instruction, Sakura had begun another set of moves, this time ones taught by Kakashi. The Hyuuga watched on fondly, chin perched on his knuckles. 'Tomorrow, we will have a heart-to-heart. I can only hope she'll accept me as her dear teacher even after.'

* * *

><p><strong>So many thanks for all of you still reading. I want there to be feels in this story, so tell me if I'm lacking something-I find paternal bonds like this very touching. (is a daddy's girl)<strong>

**Quite a bit of foreshadowing in this chapter. Hopefully it'll keep your mindgears churning as I write the next chapter.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>So many thanks...<strong>

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><p><strong>Being that 00Sakura00 is alternating between busy and vacationing on the moon, I'm not BETA'd. Please feel free to point out mistakes in my grammar, prose, or Naruto history.<strong>


	21. Alike

LENGTH

2927 words

FOREWORD

So you've all been waiting for this moment. I have, too.

いたこ

I-TA-KO

Twenty

Alike

LEAF VILLAGE, HYUUGA COMPOUND; KONOHA

Hisao sat opposite of his young student in his personal gardens. She had adopted his customary sitting position, complete with a back so straight he suspected prior training. It was a beautiful day they had both been enjoying before he had quietly asked her to join him in the grass.

"What is it, sensei?" she had asked, but stopped her training without an answer. He had remained silent as she positioned herself before him, crossing on leg behind the other to kneel down. He kept them in silence for minutes longer, very aware that his student was focusing all her senses on him. She knew better than to speak up impatiently.

"Sakura, my student," he began evenly, focusing on the features of her face visible to him, "I am afraid I have not been completely honest with you." Immediately Hisao noticed a slight furrowing of her brow. "It is one of my personal codes that I be completely open with people so that there may never be miscommunication, and to foster a mutual trust necessary for a relationship such as ours."

Blithely Sakura wondered if Hisao meant to slip such double entendres purposefully. She was a bit confused, though—how had Hisao lied to her? The Hyuuga did not act like someone hiding something—in fact, he would often speak his thoughts to the world, and narrate his emotions so that she could pick up on the facial expressions she couldn't see. Did it have to do with their training? Was she a useless kunoichi, and their training nothing but a farce to keep her busy while the Hokage signed away her life to the civilian sector?

"I am definitely assuming the worst," the young girl shuddered. "You can't train me anymore? Am I a folly of a student? Has the Hokage decided to release me from duty? I have no hope of ever being useful. You're sending me to another teacher. Please, stop me whenever you feel like it." Sakura wished she could gauge his reactions with her own eyes, since Hisao was the type of man who shifted little, even when talking. It was impossible to hear any kind of body movement from him.

"It's nothing like that, Sakura." Hisao wondered how deeply his student's self-depreciation coursed. A young girl like her didn't need the added stress that belittlement caused. "In fact, this is in regards to my own abilities as a teacher, not you as a student. _I_ am the one who hopes you will still choose to continue under my tutelage after I speak with you." The raging storm of possible ideas quelled in Sakura's mind.

"Hisao-sensei, you've been nothing but a patient teacher the whole time," Sakura started slowly, now wondering what Hisao could see as a fault on his side. "You know extremely well how to walk me through the whole blinded experience, and I've never doubted you once on your instruction. How is anything wrong?"

"_That_ is what is wrong, Sakura. Think—how is it that I know so well the ways of the blind? You've never wondered what exactly makes me so good of a teacher for the blind?" Hisao gently led her on, hoping she'd come to it on her own. His previous students had figured it out earlier than this, but then again, few had had as much determination as Sakura did for improving their bodies.

"The best teacher is experience," Sakura muttered, recalling something her father had told her long ago. Back when she had just started ninja training, she had preferred to read about tactics and battle stances instead of actually practicing them, as if the knowledge was enough to give her skills. Her father had tried to correct her by using that proverb, but after finding out how much it hurt to fight against blocks of wood, Sakura had resumed her reading. 'I wish I had known better,' she thought. 'I'm sorry for ignoring your advice, Father.'

Hisao's even breathing filled the silence. It was by no feat of amazing cognitive ability or eureka moment—nothing but a logical progression of facts. Sakura was not sure how she felt; her impression and gratitude to the Hyuuga hadn't lessened with this new knowledge, but something stirred inside her. Pity? Disappointment?

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Sakura asked, slumping her shoulders with a sigh. Her head hung heavily on her neck, and she shook it gently. "Just because you're blind doesn't make you invalid, Hisao-sensei. It only makes your teachings even more important, because they come from the best source. But still, why did you wait until now to tell me?"

Hisao released his own withheld breath. "To be honest, most of my previous students already had an idea of the situation or had heard of my specialty on the wayside. Of all my students, you're the first to succeed in going through kata, but the last to discover my own disability. The simple structure of my home is not only for your own benefit."

"…May I…" started Sakura quietly, twisting her hands together, "May I ask how it happened?" She heard Hisao smile—he always made a sort of _humm _noise when he did—and shift closer to her side. Much to her surprise, she heard him stretch out of their formal seating and lie on the grass, spreading out his limbs. One of his large hands patted her on the back and pulled, ushering her to join him.

Once he knew Sakura had fallen into a comfortable position, Hisao began his tale.

"Years ago, I was like any Hyuuga you'd see in this complex—taciturn, arrogant, and immensely proud of their Byakugan. I, as part of the Main Family, had inherited a naturally superior version of the Byakugan through genetics. Coupled with my impressive record as a tokubetsu jounin specializing in infiltration, I was the perfect example of a stupid young ninja. Don't laugh now, it's true—I'm sure you've seen a few such nin in your peers already. I had been deployed on a standard espionage mission with a team of trackers looking to break into a black market scheme. Up until the assassination part of the job, everything had gone well. When we came upon our target, a fact had become glaringly obvious: our intelligence was false. Our target was guarded by an elite for-hire team of missing nin.

"We engaged and found ourselves on the losing side of the battle. In a fit of panic, I tried pushing my kekkai genkai further, hoping I'd be able to turn the tide of the match—all I did, however, was fry the chakra channels going to my eyes and irreversibly damaged their structure. One of the enemy nin used poison and forced us to retreat completely… That mission was my first failure and last assignment as an infiltration nin.

"The worst part of the whole experience," Hisao continued on, picking the grass with audible plucks Sakura could hear, "was that I had no one to blame but myself. For a while I had deluded myself that it was the missing nin's poison that had stolen my sight, but the medics were adamant that I had destroyed my own pathways. I couldn't scream at anything but my own irresponsibility. For the longest time I slumped around in a depression—any Hyuuga you ask will admit they've had at least one nightmare of losing their vision, but at least they could wake up from it. I was living the reality."

Sakura cut in, rapt with attention. If she hadn't her blindfold on, her eyes would be wide and eager. "So what kept you from just giving up as a ninja? I mean..."

Hisao laughed. "Everyone asks that! Well, yes, in truth my situation was horrible, but not completely hopeless. There are ninja out there who fight with prosthetics all the time. Some go beyond that and just use their one arm! Mute ninja learn how to focus a technique without using its name, and deaf ones take training to attune themselves with vibrations. Being blind was awful at the start, but I had a great deal of support behind me."

"Who? The Hyuuga?" Sakura asked suspiciously. She heard tales of the ruthlessness of the white-eyed clan, and had seen it in action between Hinata and Neji. She had assumed that the Hyuuga clan was an environment where the weak were tossed to the side and the strong lifted high into the air.

"It surprises me how little you expect from my clansmen, Sakura," Hisao said lightly, without a hint of insult. "I know you've seen Hinata-sama and Neji together, but they are hardly the entirety of the clan. It is the same for me however—I'm not the poster child for Hyuuga etiquette, but hardly is Neji or Hinata-sama or even Hiashi-sama. At the time, my biggest confidante was a man named Hizashi. I was an older cousin to him by a few years. He was the one who helped me the most with overcoming the impossible mountain that was conquering my blindness.

"Hizashi figuratively opened my eyes to the other paths that were still open to me. He was actually the one to plant the idea that I help other disabled ninja—it wasn't until he died that I took action on that suggestion."

Sakura lay silently beside her teacher, rolling her head to face his direction. She hoped she wasn't looking into his armpit or anything. "I'm sorry for your loss. And I'm sorry about how I think of your family, Hisao-sensei. It's… not fair of me to judge them all like that. Thank you for sharing all of that." She blushed slightly, wondering to the side if Hisao knew she was. "It, um, makes me feel a bit more enthusiastic about the future now."

"I am glad, then, that my story has helped you," Hisao said. "However, I must ask you a favor. In return for allowing you to hear my story… will you allow me to also ask you a question? You are not required to answer it, but I feel as if the answer will help your training." Sakura hummed for a second, thinking on it. Hisao had never asked her purposefully digging questions before, and she couldn't quite come up with any other thing he'd need answered.

"Go ahead," she responded after that moment of consideration. Besides, she didn't have to answer if she didn't like the question, right? Hisao was too kind to press her strongly—

"Who was that person who visited you two nights ago, and why have you not told me that you are not blind?"

The world went silent and still.

"What." Sakura's voice was flat, and her tongue hit the _t_ with force. Jolting out of her comfortable spot, the young girl was quick to put distance between her and her teacher.

"I'd like that you take a second before panicking, Sakura." Hisao didn't move from his position to follow her. "I do not need to know what significance she had in your life, but it concerns me that she can rattle you so. It's also concerning that she was able to hide herself from a whole compound of ninja whose specialty is seeing more than anyone—I want to be able to protect you, Sakura, but if you don't tell me I can't."

"I… She… No, she'll...!" Was anyone allowed to know of her tormentor? Would Takae view it as a sign of weakness and kill him on the spot? She had said that she was leaving to go "home" but had she really? Could she feel safe anymore? Hisao wanted to help her, but so did the Hokage, and Takae managed to get passed him and an entire village.

To his horror, Sakura began to openly weep. Gradually, Hisao edged his way close to his pupil. When she showed no signs of fleeing, he carefully brought her into his arms. Instantly he knew exactly who the mysterious visitor was. The only person that he could imagine that would traumatize his bright student would be the one who put her in his care in the first place.

"Kaihou Takae," Sakura said into his shoulder darkly after a long period of holding and tears. She couldn't hold it in anymore. Hisao was too comforting, too trusting, too kind, too eager to help her—she just couldn't deceive him another minute longer. She clutched the sides of his haori in desperation, feeling as if she'd crack without him to support her. "She's the one who visited me last night and in the hospital before I left to be transferred to your care."

Hisao was distraught to hear this was not the first time the foreign nin had visited his charge. It was no surprise that she held little confidence in their ability to protect her or themselves from such a secretive nin.

"She promised me… She'll take everyone away if I don't become strong." Sakura struggled to breathe deeply enough for her lungs. "These eyes..! The stupid proof of our 'deal'..! Mother, Father… and you, too!" She couldn't stop the words. Hisao was the perfect sponge to absorb all her despair. "Takae will kill you… She'll kill everyone! I have to protect you all! I couldn't save my parents, but if I push myself, I can… I can..!" The tears started again. Her blindfold, already soaked, couldn't hold them all and Hisao could feel his robe dampen.

"Sakura." Sakura was stunned into silence at the commanding tone of her teacher. It was positively cold and imposing—the voice of a leader and battled-hardened ninja who had no time to waste on pleasantries. "Stop this hysteria. You are a kunoichi, not a floundering civilian." She pushed herself away from the man's chest, her hands still bunched firmly in his robes. "I am behind you. Your teammates are behind you. The whole of Konoha is behind you. You are not alone in this ordeal, and we are going to keep you safe. We are going to keep _ourselves_ safe, as we have all trained to do.

"Now," he exhaled slowly, and his voice returned to its even cadence. "I need you to calm down and think about this. You can't live in fear of Kaihou hiding behind every corner in Konoha. You can't let yourself be swallowed by this weight she's thrown on your shoulders—while it's more than I can be gracious for that you're willing to sacrifice your own health to protect all of us, you also need to realize that we're all able to protect ourselves, too." Hisao pushed Sakura away so that he could look at her at arm's length. "I understand the danger you're in Sakura. I understand the danger you have no choice to believe that we're all in—but I want you to understand that I'm here to support you. From this day forward, I can promise we can devote every waking moment to improving your skills until you feel ready to confront Kaihou, but I can only do that if you swear to not let yourself drown any longer."

"I…" Sakura muttered, taking away one hand to wipe her cheeks. "It just always seemed like I'd have to keep this a secret. I mean… Takae, she said she'd be watching my progress, and it felt like I'd always have to watch my every step. It's difficult to imagine I could just wipe her existence from my mind—the woman who murdered my…" She gasped and shuddered. With a steadying breath, she firmly grabbed Hisao's shoulders to mimic his pose so they matched. "I want to be strong enough so that I'll never have to worry about Takae again, Hisao-sensei. I want to be strong enough so that the day I set out to find her, I'll be able to grind her into tiny pieces of dust that could never hurt you. If… If the only way I can do that is to share my burden with you, then I'll try to always keep myself open."

Hisao chuckled, and Sakura could hear another smile form on his face. "While I don't condone anything like you leaving the village to hunt this woman down, I can appreciate you keeping your precious people in your heart." He pulled her into his arms for a tight hug. "I don't expect you to be like your old self. I just want you to be able to keep a smile on your face that isn't fake."

"Th-thanks, Hisao-sensei," Sakura stuttered, hoping her teacher couldn't feel her blush. She wondered if he knew that he was a serious lady killer. "But, uh, now that you know that I'm not blind…"

"I'll still be training you as if you were truly disabled, Sakura." Hisao finally released his young pupil and pushed himself off the ground. Sakura, watching him curiously, followed after a moment. "You came to me with the purpose of learning to operate with the world hidden with your vision. I can understand that there's something about your eyes that you want to hide, and I won't ask any further questions. We will continue your adaptation training—but now, I'll finally more you onto the real point of training with Hyuuga Hisao."

"Which is?" Sakura asked. She heard him turn to her, and she could imagine him smiling at her with the light behind his back, lighting up his body with some holy glow.

"Using chakra to imperceptibly search out your environment—and your opponents."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks everyone for reading so far. I understand that my update schedule is more erratic than a disorganized schizophrenic, and it's probably annoying to have to wait so long. I hope this chapter has been fulfilling—there are been a couple of guesses toward Hisao's blindness, but it seemed that everyone was pretty oblivious to the hints I was dropping.<strong>

**This chapter was really dramatic. I hope it came off as that way, but if anything kind of rubbed you the wrong while reading it, tell me.**

**Also, I'm sorry if I haven't replied to your reviews recently! Time is short enough where it's difficult to spend enough time staring at Word documents, but I've always had a pet peeve about brick wall authors who don't give any kind of feedback. I'll try to do better with these new chapters.**

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